The Mage of Thunder
by RonnyBravo
Summary: Rosalina is telling the story of when Bowser had taken over the Mushroom Kingdom, taking Mario captive, and then taking the universe as his own reigning for just over ten years. But after those ten years, a hero once again arose and was ready to confront the evil that had devastated the universe. That hero? None other than everyone's favorite green clad plumber.
1. Farewells

Chapter 1: Farewells

The Lumas rushed around the Comet Observatory. Their favorite time was drawing near; when their mama, Rosalina, read them stories in the library. Most Lumas forgot to go but a few loyal listeners always showed up to hear Rosalina's stories. Some she read from books, and others she told from memory. And her memories were endless because of her never ending life due to the power of the Grand Stars.

Ten or so Lumas floated into the library where Rosalina was waiting. There were blue ones, yellow ones, and even a red one who almost never showed up due to his self-centered life. The tenth Luma however was a white Luma, and Rosalina's most favored. He was the Luma on the observatory that Rosalina had known the longest, the one who had been through many more life cycles than all of his friends, and the first she had ever met. She had taken to calling him the prince of the Lumas and all of the others referred to him that way as well.

"Welcome children," she began, "Today our story will be about a hero I knew hundreds of years ago. He was the brother of another famous hero and often lived in this hero's shadow. But he had a few adventures on his own as well. This one in particular was one I myself participated in. It was a tragic time when this adventure occurred. I remember it quite well…"

* * *

Part 1: The Mushroom Kingdom

The sun never shone in the Mushroom Kingdom anymore, or anywhere else for that matter. It had a good reason not to as well; evil had arisen and taken the whole universe as its prize. This evil, known as Bowser, had tricked the great hero, Mario, and captured him. With him out of the way, he proceeded to take down the kingdom and then, after that, he further extended his reach to the universe… and succeeded. The hero's brother, after the hero had been kidnapped, fell into deep despair and fled the kingdom, leaving no trace behind him of where he might have gone.

And now our story begins, ten years after the evil's takeover, when a hero would arise to defeat it…

* * *

"Are you sure you're ready to go?" asked the old hermit who had been providing shelter for this strange cloaked man.

"Absolutely," the cloaked man said, "I feel that my home needs me so I must go." The hermit looked over this strange man once again. Never once had he seen the man's face for he would never take his cloak's hood off. He had learned not to question his guest over the ten years that he had been staying with him. All he knew was that this man had something special going on inside of him. He had seen the effects of his powers firsthand, but he was so afraid of them he had never asked where he had gotten them.

"Where must you go?" asked the hermit. The cloaked man remained silent. He looked out to the west towards his homeland.

"Maybe you'll find out," he said finally. The hermit knew that across the western sea was the expansive Mushroom Kingdom, though it had not been called by that cheery name in ten years since the fiend who called himself Bowser showed up. He had taken the Mushroom Kingdom as his own territory and further expanded to take over Sarasaland, the Enemius kingdom to the South, and whatever other places there might be on the planet. He'd even heard that the evil koopa had taken the whole universe as his own.

"Well then go," said the hermit, "Find what you're looking for. Maybe I'll see you again."

"Maybe," the cloaked man said, not averting his gaze. He took a few steps away from the hermit and his cottage. He paused for a second to consider all of the things he would be leaving behind in this kingdom; this hermit he had become so close to, the girl he had met in the forest and began seeing when he first arrived years ago who claimed to have been the former princess of the land before Bowser came along, and the beautiful flowers that bloomed there in the spring in spite of Bowser's reign. But he had to go. Something within him drew him home. He broke into a run as he headed towards the west, into the forest that the hermit resided in. The hermit watched him go and waved as he disappeared into the trees.

* * *

The cloaked man dashed through the forest as quickly as he could. If he could reach the ocean before sundown, he might be able to stow away on a boat that was delivering goods to Bowser's capitol in the Mushroom Kingdom. But the sun was still barely rising over the hills in the east behind him. He still had time to tell them good bye.

For there was another small building in the forest besides the hermit's cottage, and that building was where the girl he had fallen in love with lived. The hermit didn't know anything about her and she and the other person living in the house with her were the only two people who had ever seen his face.

The house came into view a few minutes later and he stopped to catch his breath. Then he continued towards the small log cabin, though it was bigger than the hermit's cottage. He breathed deeply before he knocked on the door. A young boy about six years old answered it. As soon as he saw the cloaked man, his face broke into a grin.

"Daddy!" he cried. He jumped into his father's arms. The cloaked man smiled. He put down his son and walked into the house, shutting the door behind him. A young woman wearing a yellow skirt and a yellow tank top with a flower imprinted on it along with a white shirt walked into the entryway and gasped. She hadn't seen him in over a month. This was due to the interference of getting himself ready to leave for his home. He had already talked to her about this.

"So you came after all," she said in disbelief, "I thought you'd just leave."

"I wouldn't do that without saying good bye to you Daisy," said the cloaked man.

"Daddy, are you leaving?" asked the young boy standing next to him.

"Yes Danny, I'm afraid I must," said the cloaked man as he patted his son on the head.

"Daddy has to go on a mission," Daisy told Danny, "I'm sure he'll be back someday." The cloaked man walked up to Daisy.

"I _promise_ I'll be back someday," said the cloaked man. He pulled back his hood revealing his face. He wore a green cap with an L imprinted on it over his brown hair. He had a slick moustache and blue eyes, the same eyes that his son had.

"I trust that you will keep that promise Luigi," said Daisy. She kissed him one last time and Danny came up to his dad and hugged his leg.

"I'll miss you daddy!" he cried. Luigi bent down and hugged his son tightly.

"I'll miss you too," said Luigi sadly. He stood up again and put his hood back on. He went over and opened the door to leave but he looked at his family one last time.

"Good bye," he said softly. Then he shut the door behind him.

* * *

**A/N: I've always liked Luigi so here's a story that features him! Please tell me what you think so far. I do not own Mario. Any Mario characters belong to Nintendo except for my OCs.**


	2. Setting Sail

Chapter 2: Setting Sail

Luigi watched the large port operate from the trees of the forest nearby it. The sun was high in the sky now and he had just reached the edge of the forest he had called home for the past ten years. Many boats carrying various cargos were lined up at the docks and Koopas and Bros., as they were called, loaded large boxes onto the ships.

Luigi saw his chance at getting on one of the ships when a slightly opened and unsupervised crate came into his viewing range. He took a deep breath, covered his face with his hood again, and counted to three before dashing out of the trees and flattening himself against a storage warehouse that was nearest to the crate. He peeked around the corner and saw that a Koopa was now leaning against the warehouse looking at the crate. He hadn't seemed to notice that the lid was ajar just yet but he was watching. Luigi saw that the warehouse was made of solid metal.

"Well how convenient," he said to himself. He pressed his hand against the side of the warehouse and took a deep breath. Then he focused his mind and unleashed nearly a thousand volts of electricity into the warehouse wall. This was his special ability that he had been honing for ten years; the ability to control electricity by his own free will. He had used his Thunderhand on his gloves as assistance until he got the hang of it.

The Koopa yelped and fell to the ground unconscious due to the electricity entering through his shell from the wall he had been leaning on. He knew that what just happened would draw attention fast so he pulled out a wrench and dashed towards the slightly opened crate. He quickly pried the lid off enough so that he could slip inside and shut the lid behind him. Soon, he heard voices directly outside the crate.

"What happened?" yelled one voice.

"He's been electrocuted by something," said another, "I can feel the surges." Comments such as these continued until finally somebody said that the crate needed to be moved onto a ship so that an ambulance could get in. He felt his crate get lifted up and a few minutes later, he felt and heard a thump, signifying that he was on the ship's deck. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had succeeded in getting onto one of the ships. Now all he had to do was hijack the whole thing and throw the crew overboard, which wouldn't be too hard for him. But he would have to wait until they were at sea to do so. He peeked out of the crate for one last look at Sarasaland, his second home that had graciously let him live within it, and the place the held so many good memories for him to counter the bad that had occurred before. He heard somebody say that the ship was clear and felt a lurch. The ship was leaving port.

"Good bye Sarasaland," he said softly through the crack.

* * *

It was some time before Luigi peeked out again. The moon hung high in the sky now and Luigi assumed that the captain was probably the only person awake at the time. He pushed the lid off of the crate and grabbed a few things he had found that might be useful to him; a rope, a hammer, and even a few bottles of water. He tucked the hammer and water bottles into his magical cloak, which was a gift from a special person before he left his homeland. It allowed the wearer to store unlimited amounts of items within it and recall them from the cloak just as fast as they were put in. He coiled the rope around his shoulder. It could be useful.

He silently slipped across the deck towards where the captain's quarters would be. From there he could probably set off an alarm that would confuse the entire ship. A light shone above him from the control room. He saw an antennae sticking out from above it. He moved over out from under the control room and over to the back of the deck to the point where the antennae was almost not in view. He made his rope into a lasso and swung it around above his head. Then he threw as hard as he could at the antennae. It worked. It had snagged on the antennae. Luigi began slowly pulling himself up towards the control room. Slowly but surely, he managed to reach the flat spot that created the ceiling of his destination. He untied the rope and re-coiled it around his shoulder and peeked into the control room from above.

He saw the captain in there fast asleep in his chair. The captain looked vaguely familiar to him but he couldn't put his finger on where he might have seen him before. He seemed to be a small Koopa with a tall light blue tuft of hair and a spiky shell. He saw the very large alarm button on the dashboard and slowly slipped inside the room. The Koopa didn't even stir as Luigi tip toed over to the control panel. Suddenly, he snorted. Luigi froze and looked over at the captain who quickly relaxed and went back to snoring. He breathed a sigh of relief. He reached the control panel, readied his powers, and slammed his fist down onto the alarm button.

Immediately, blaring alarms came up everywhere. The captain woke with a start and didn't even get a chance to scream before Luigi zapped him. He fell to the ground unconscious. Luigi quickly jumped out the window and landed on the deck. The whole crew was up now and running around in panic. Luigi nonchalantly walked across the deck smashing the crew members off with simple swings of the hammer. He even zapped a few for fun so they wouldn't feel the hammer's impact due to the numbness his electricity caused.

When he saw that just about the entire crew was gone, he turned to head back to the control room but found the Koopa he had zapped there staring at him in anger.

"How dare you attack me, the great Larry Koopa!" he yelled, "You can't just sneak up on _me_ like that you hammer using grim reaper!" Now Luigi remembered who this person was. It was one of Bowser's eight Koopalings and they didn't exactly play nice; okay, they didn't play nice at all. And Larry was one of the most annoying of the eight.

"Ah, Larry Koopa," he said in a relaxed tone, "I've heard that your father is the ruler of the universe now."

"Yeah, that's right," said Larry pumping his chest up, "He gave us Koopalings whatever we wanted. I got to be the captain of this ship! But you've ruined it and kicked all of my crew off board! You'll pay!" The Koopaling pulled out a magic wand and waved it around in the air.

"Do you think you can take me with my magic wand?" he asked.

"Most certainly," said Luigi. His hood was still on so Larry couldn't recognize him. He would pass off as just another person in rebellion against Bowser. Larry was furious now.

"Now you're insulting me!" he yelled angrily, "You'll pay!"

"Go ahead," said Luigi, "Hit me."

"Why you…" Larry started. He held his tongue and flung a series of five magical fire balls. Luigi rolled out of the way and behind the Koopaling who seemed surprised at his agility. Luigi flung a small blast of electricity at the Koopaling who deflected it with a magical shield.

"What are you?" Larry wondered.

"Your worst nightmare," answered Luigi. He jumped over Larry's head and pulled out his hammer again. Larry turned back to him but as soon as his head was turned, he got a hammer to the face. Luigi kept pummeling him with hammer swings until he was almost to the edge of the boat. Larry began to lose his balance.

"Say your prayers Koopaling!" said Luigi. All Larry felt was an incredibly hard smack to the stomach before he flew into the ocean below. Luigi watched the waters below and saw the Koopaling resurface.

"You will pay! You will pay!" Larry vowed many times over, "My dad will…" Luigi didn't hear the rest. He went to the control room to reset the ship's course to the southeast side of the Mushroom Kingdom away from Bowser's capitol, Neo Bowser City, and towards Plack Beach so that he could sneak up on his enemy in his own town. His eyes sparkled as he looked towards the east to his destination. He was on his way home.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi is finally on his way back to the Mushroom Kingdom! But he's going to have a long way to go before he finally defeats his enemy and saves the world. Again, I own no Mario characters. Only my OCs belong to me.**


	3. Reunition

Chapter 3: Reunition

The eastern mainland of the Mushroom Kingdom was already in view by the next morning. Luigi knew that the Mushroom Kingdom was close to Sarasaland but not that close. When he had left the first time the journey had seemed so much longer. He estimated that he would arrive by noon, which was about an hour away. He would land on Plack Beach and then destroy the ship immediately so as not to leave a trace as to where he landed. He had found explosives in a crate on the lower deck which he would use to blow up the ship.

As Luigi expected, the ship landed on Plack Beach within the hour. He quickly put the explosives crate in the engine room and tied another rope he had found that he had coated with kerosene around the crate. He dragged the other end of the rope up onto the deck and over to the front end of the boat that had landed on the beach. He jumped off and for the first time in over ten years touched his homeland with his own boots. He pulled a small match out of his cloak, lit it, put the rope on the ground, dropped the match on the end of the rope, and made a run for the trees across the way. The rope burned quickly thanks to the kerosene, and just thirty seconds later as Luigi had estimated, and when he covered his ears, the ship exploded in a spectacular blast.

Luigi pulled out a pair of binoculars he had found on the ship to see if there were any single remaining parts to the ship. He didn't see any. The ship had completely disintegrated. He was glad that he had looked through every crate on the ship before he landed for anything that might be useful. He had found many boxes of canned food, many more boxes with water bottles jammed inside of them, and even a box full of daggers and swords. He had taken one even though he didn't really need it.

Luigi took one last look at the ocean he had just spanned and then turned towards the northerly direction where Neo Bowser City was. He would head up there the next day to confront Bowser and save the kingdom, and perhaps, the world. The only thing he hoped was true was…

"Is he even there?" Luigi asked himself as he looked towards the tall and ugly towers to the north.

* * *

Luigi had a hard time sleeping that night even though he had just spent a whole night at sea wide awake. He missed the hermit's cottage and the warm bed it provided for him. He missed Daisy and Danny and wondered how they would hold up without him. That last goodbye just didn't seem like enough. As he pondered these thoughts he remained sleepless until finally he began to doze off, losing consciousness because of his stressed mind. Suddenly, a voice yelled out from nowhere.

"Luigi!" it yelled. Luigi jolted awake.

"What in the world?" Luigi asked himself.

"Luigi, are you there?" asked the voice.

"What are you?" Luigi asked as he rubbed his head, "And how do you know my name?"

"Pull the orb out of your cloak!" the voice said. Luigi reached into his unfathomable cloak and pulled out a strange blue orb.

"Are you… speaking to me through this thing?" asked Luigi.

"Yes Luigi!" the voice cried, "It's me, the hermit!" Luigi almost stumbled backwards.

"You? How on earth did you learn my name?" he asked.

"Oh, a young boy walking through the forest told me," said the hermit, "I sent him home but I don't know where he came from. I thought he was my imagination until you answered to the name." Luigi deduced that it was Danny who the hermit had talked to. He would have to lay it into that boy for talking to someone who was a stranger to him when he got back.

"Where did the orb come from?" asked Luigi.

"I slipped it into your cloak the night before you left," said the hermit, "You seem to put everything you have in there so I assumed…"

"Yes, yes, I know," said Luigi, "Where did you get such an item that allows you to communicate like this?"

"Maybe you'll find out," the hermit chuckled, "Nice speaking with you. Call me up if you need my help at all." The connection broke and he was alone once again. He slipped the orb back into his cloak, still being unable to believe that the hermit was able to communicate with him and what he meant by "help", and lay back down on his pillow. How could the hermit help him from so far away? He gazed at the sky above him. The stars in the sky looked so much the same as Sarasaland but were still so much different. It was strange to him. It was as if he were raised in Sarasaland and then come to a foreign country. He shut his eyes again and dozed off pondering whether or not he should continue. Something inside of him told him to go on, but his insides were contradicting themselves. One part wanted to save the universe and the other to go back and live with his family and the hermit. But sleep interrupted his thoughts and he became void of the stressful thinking he was facing.

* * *

Luigi awoke to the sound of screaming. He quickly stuffed his pillow in his cloak and pulled out the hammer he had found on the ship. He pulled on his hood and peeked through the palm trees. On the beach in front of him, he saw two Hammer Bros. harassing a very familiar person; as a matter of fact, a person Luigi knew quite well. She was a round yellow creature with brown feet and a star floating above her head. She floated above the ground trying to get as far away from the Hammer Bros. as possible.

"I say we smash her into the beach!" one of the Bros. said.

"No! We have to drown her in the ocean!" the other complained.

"No, actually, we have to catch her first!" yelled the first, "So stop being a total imbecile and…" He didn't get to finish because a huge burst of electricity flew from the general direction of a few palm trees and knocked him unconscious.

"What the…" his friend started. Luigi jumped out of his hiding spot and smashed him into the ground with the hammer, giving him a jolt of electricity to the head for good measure. The creature being harassed came down and looked over Luigi in disbelief.

"I can't believe it!" she cried, "Luigi, is that you?" Luigi pulled his hood off.

"Yep," he responded. Starlow flew into his arms crying.

"The whole universe is under Bowser's control now!" she cried, "I should have never had you leave!"

"I appreciate that you had me leave Starlow," said Luigi.

"Why is that?" asked Starlow. She indeed was the one who sent Luigi off to Sarasaland to hone his skills after Mario had disappeared and the one who gave him the cloak so Luigi explained what he had been doing over the last ten years in Sarasaland to her.

"Oh, I see," said Starlow, "Sounds like you've had a better time than we've had in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Not even," said Luigi, "Have you tried eating bug-kabobs? What exactly are you doing here anyways?" Before Starlow could answer, they heard a sudden rumble from just down the shoreline.

"What was that?" asked Starlow.

"Don't ask me," said Luigi, "I haven't lived here for the past ten years!" A huge wooden tank flew from a cliff above the beach and landed on the ground nearby them. It was manned by at least fifty Goombas, forty Koopas, and a variety of Bros.

"Oh snap," said Starlow, "These guys do _not_ play nice."

"Tell me about it," said Luigi as he readied his powers and hammer. The tank charged forwards at them and Bullet Bills fired at them from all directions from the tank's cannons. With one zap of electricity, Luigi took every single one of the projectiles out and glared at the enemies who were on the ship. It would take more than a hammer to defeat these guys. He put the hammer back in his cloak and pulled out the two foot dagger he had taken from the ship. Starlow looked at him in surprise.

"Have you ever used one of those before?" she asked.

"No, but I'm about to," said Luigi. He charged forwards at the tank and jumped on top of it. He began slashing at the enemies who were trying hard to push him off. More Bullet Bills were fired but Luigi took them all down with his powers. Unfortunately, it was hard to slash at enemies and use his powers at the same time.

"Unless…" he thought to himself. He swung around and ran over to the other side of the tank which had cleared out when every single enemy had come to attack him. He quickly loosed a small blast of electricity that sent the front two rows of enemies charging at him flying through the air. Then, just as the enemies were reaching him and also just when the next round of Bullet Bills was firing, he jumped up to the top of the tank and bounced high into the air. The Bullet Bills followed him but he raised his dagger to the sky.

"Lightning Strike now!" he yelled. A black cloud immediately formed overhead and lightning hurled down from it, being absorbed in the tip of the dagger, surging through Luigi's body without harming him, and coming out through his feet. The lightning hit the tank and took out over half of the enemies that were on it and put every single Bullet Bill Cannon out of order. He landed on the top of the tank where a dead Boomerang Bro. now lied. He kicked the enemy off and pointed his dagger, still surging with electricity, down at the rest of his foes who were panicking at the sight of the lightning strike. He spun around three times with the dagger still in hand… and fired a horizontal slash of nearly twenty thousand volts of electricity down to the deck of the tank where he assumed the engine was under. He jumped off back over to Starlow, grabbed her, and ran for the Cavi Cape's entrance nearby as another immense explosion rocked the earth behind them. When the smoke cleared, not a single piece of the tank nor any of Bowser's minions remained.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has reunited with Starlow, resisted a lightning bolt, and destroyed two perfectly good vehicles in this chapter. Is he flipping awesome or what? I do not own any Mario characters. All Mario characters used in this story belong to Nintendo. **


	4. Battle at the Polluted Lake

Chapter 4: Battle at the Polluted Lake

Starlow gaped at the explosion that Luigi had just caused from behind their hiding spot. She couldn't believe how strong he'd gotten with his training in Sarasaland. Not a living creature that had been caught up in the explosion remained. Luigi turned towards the cavern entrance that led to the main part of the cape.

"Is Bowser in his capitol?" asked Luigi with his back still turned.

"I… I don't think so…" said Starlow, still amazed by his strength, "He's probably at the center of the universe where he always is."

"He doesn't come back to his city?" asked Luigi as he turned around.

"No," said Starlow, "Well… not that often but…"

"We have to go there," said Luigi, "I must defeat him and save our world." Starlow was impressed by his determination but she was almost doubtful of him even after he had blown up the whole tank using only lightning.

"Well, before you do, you should do a few things first," said Starlow.

"What are those things?" asked Luigi.

"You'll have to track down the three Star Cures again," said Starlow, "They went under the possession of different owners after you used them against Fawful a long time ago; after they split up."

"Got it," said Luigi, "Any clues as to where they may be?" Starlow shook her head.

"I have no idea," said Starlow, shaking her head.

"I'll find them," said Luigi, "Why do I need them?"

"It would make your battle against Bowser much easier if you had the Miracle Cure again," said Starlow. In truth, she didn't know if that was true or not, but if the Miracle Cure could break through impassible barriers, it could likely defeat Bowser. Without another word, Luigi pulled his hood back on and ran into the cavern. Starlow was amazed at how quickly he had taken up her challenge and left. She just hoped that he would be alright; hoped so much that she followed him.

* * *

Luigi jumped up onto the highest cliff in the cavern and saw sunlight outside the cavern entrance that was there. He quickly ran forwards and into the light and found himself high above Blubble Lake, but it didn't look like Blubble Lake at all. Its waters were cloudy and there was trash everywhere in the water and on the ground. Obviously it was Bowser's doing. No one but him would pollute a lake like this.

"Hey Luigi! Wait up!" Starlow's voice called from behind. Luigi turned around and saw Starlow approaching him.

"What are you doing here?" asked Luigi.

"I'm following to make sure you don't get into any unnecessary danger," said Starlow.

"I'm fine," said Luigi as he turned back towards the lake. He thought he saw a glint in the polluted waters, like a gemstone of some sort. He ran towards the lake and jumped down at its shore next to where he saw the glint. Starlow followed him cautiously. He reached down at the edge of the lake and picked up a star. But not just any star, but a Power Star.

"What is this doing in the lake?" Luigi asked himself. He happened to notice that its eyes looked droopy and it was a bronze color rather than yellow.

"What happened to this thing?" he asked.

"It looks like it's had its power drained," said Starlow, "Bowser obviously did this but why? Power Stars are a non-renewable resource!" Luigi gripped his hands on the Power Star. He would not let Bowser get away with stealing the energy of the stars for his evil purposes.

"We have to find those Star Cures before more stars are drained," said Luigi, "The faster we find them, the faster we can defeat Bowser."

"Right, but where do we go from here?" asked Starlow.

"You said we were clueless," said Luigi.

"I know but… there must be some way to find the Star Cures!" Starlow exclaimed. The Power Star's eyes seemed to droop even more. Luigi thought he saw it look towards the north. He looked north as well and saw a terrible sight. Peach's Castle in Toad Town just north of the lake was decimated and falling apart. The Power Star seemed to try to get out of Luigi's arms and fly to the castle. Luigi even felt it wriggling.

"I think it wants us to go to Peach's Castle," said Luigi.

"I wonder why," said Starlow, "Bowser destroyed that place and took Princess Peach captive after you left." Luigi suddenly felt something tug on the back of his cloak. Starlow watched in shock as he suddenly flew through the air and landed on a large lily pad in the lake. Luigi was surprised that any plant life could grow in this environment.

"Aha!" a voice shouted, "You're the one who's rebelling against King Bowser are you not!" Luigi picked himself up and found that he could stand on the lily pad as it held his weight. He saw a small Koopa-like creature wearing a blue robe and a wand across from him on a broom floating above the lake. He was retracting a magic fishing line into his wand.

"Kamek?" Luigi said in disbelief.

"That's right robe face," said Kamek, "I'm here to completely destroy you on behalf of King Bowser!"

"Look who's calling who a robe face," Luigi said. He flung a blast of fire magic at Luigi which Luigi easily blocked with an electrical force field.

"Oh, so those are the powers you've gained while you've been missing," said Kamek in interest, "I see you've become a magic user as well. A shame you aren't on King Bowser's side!"

"A shame it is not," said Luigi through gritted teeth. He drew his dagger and jumped on the next biggest lily pad with the intention of getting closer to Kamek. He continued to jump from lily pad to lily pad until finally, he was just one lily pad away from reaching Kamek. He jumped at the Magikoopa, his dagger raised for the kill… and Kamek disappeared! Luigi slammed into the lily pad which almost flipped at the shock of his weight. Luigi managed to keep his balance though and quickly swiveled his head around to see where Kamek had gone. He seemed to have vanished.

"You're looking in all of the wrong places robe face!" Kamek's voice yelled from above. Luigi looked up and saw fire magic coming at him. He jumped back almost falling off the lily pad but the fire magic tipped it back up so that he slid back towards its center. Luigi readied a lightning ball to fire at Kamek. The Magikoopa watched him do his magic in eagerness to see what he would do next. Luigi flung the ball at his opponent but Kamek absorbed it into his wand and fired it right back at him with twice the strength! Luigi was barely able to jump to the next lily pad before the lightning ball hit the lily pad and it exploded.

Luigi felt a tingle in the water as the smoke cleared. He got a quick idea and put his dagger away. Kamek looked down at him eager to see what he would do next. Luigi once again focused his powers so as to create electricity.

"That's not going to work," said Kamek, "I've already demonstrated my power absorption."

"What if I'm not aiming at you?" asked Luigi. Kamek seemed surprised.

"What good will not aiming at me do?" he asked.

"Ever heard that water conducts electricity?" asked Luigi. Kamek went pale and Luigi zapped the entire lake. It created a huge storm of green electrical light that rose up out of the lake, amplified by the power of the water molecules, and caught Kamek in the blast. When the electricity cleared, Kamek was floating in the air, robes charred and completely shocked; literally. Luigi had completely disintegrated every single lily pad on the lake but hadn't fallen in because he had quickly changed the magnetic field so that he could walk on the air away from the ground like the head of a phospholipid molecule away from water.

Kamek fell into the polluted water unconscious. Someone from the Koopa Troop would find him there and bring him back to Bowser. Luigi walked over to the shore on the air and changed the magnetic field's effect on him back to normal, dropping to the ground and landing perfectly on his feet. Starlow had hidden with the Power Star behind a boulder nearby and was looking at him in shock; not literally. Kamek had not seen his face through the entire battle. He was like a completely different hero; not like the coward he used to be. He reminded her of his brother.

"Shall we move on to Peach's Castle?" asked Luigi as he picked the Power Star up in his arms. Starlow could only find the courage to nod. This Luigi was something else.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Luigi can control the magnetic field with his electrical powers. Yes, I am a nerd. And yes, Luigi is that epic. And now Mr. Epic and Starlow are headed to Peach's Castle to figure out what the Power Star is reacting to. What will they find? I do not own any Mario characters, areas, or ideas. All belong to Nintendo.**


	5. A New Friend

Chapter 5: A New Friend

Luigi was shocked when he and Starlow reached Toad Town. Houses everywhere were breaking down and even the mall in its entire splendor had been closed off. He looked ahead towards Peach's Castle and saw that it also looked even worse up close. The paint was peeling off of the outer walls and only one tower was still standing. Luigi's eyes almost didn't want to see it as true that Bowser had taken over and done this. The Power Star's eyes drooped lower.

"Let's go," Luigi said urgently. He ran off towards Peach's Castle, Starlow following close behind him.

* * *

Luigi had to knock down the dented front door of the castle in order to get in. It only took three swings of the hammer to do so and then he dashed inside, storing the hammer back in his cloak. The Power Star had stopped wiggling around in Luigi's arms for some reason but neither Luigi nor Starlow realized it. Luigi observed the wreckage of the castle on the inside with terror in his eyes. It was ten times worse than the wreckage outside. The throne room was charred to the point of no recognition. The tables were overturned and towers that had been missing from the outside view were fallen on the inside. Skeletons of dead Toads lied everywhere.

"This… this is terrible!" Luigi said in outrage, "Why would Bowser do this!"

"Because he's Bowser," said Starlow, "Now can we please stop asking that question?" Luigi calmed down.

"Yes, I guess we are overdoing it with that aren't we," said Luigi, "We all know why and who did all of this so why bother asking?"

"That's my point," said Starlow, "Now why did the Power Star want us to come here?" Luigi looked around the wreckage of the meeting hall which they had just entered.

"I don't see anything related to a Power Star in here," said Luigi. Suddenly, he saw a motion from somewhere nearby one of the fallen towers. He quickly readied his electrical powers.

"Who's there?" he demanded. Starlow was surprised.

"Who's… where?" she asked.

"I just saw something move," said Luigi. He slowly walked towards where he had seen the motion, Power Star in one hand and electrical charge in the other. He saw another movement from the same spot and fired a small jolt of electricity at it. Whatever it was dodged the jolt and dashed from its hiding spot, ducking into a small hole in the wall surrounding the inward section of the castle.

"What was that?" Starlow asked in panic.

"Something's here," said Luigi. He quickly crouched down into the hole and crawled through. He came out in a large spacious room with two high balconies on both sides of it and a set of five stone statues at the other side. A small thing was crouching down in the corner of the room as if it wouldn't be seen.

"There you are!" Luigi yelled, "What are you doing here?" Starlow quickly flew into the room behind him to see what he was yelling at. The creature turned around. It was a small little thing and it looked like a lion cub with the exception of the small wings on its back, the fact that it did not have claws but talons, and having a beak rather than a nose. It looked like a mix between a lion and an eagle and terrified as well.

"Is… is that a… a Griffin cub?" Starlow asked in disbelief.

"A what?" asked Luigi.

"They're extremely rare animals that are a strange mix between a lion and an eagle!" Starlow cried, "What is it doing here?" Luigi settled down his electricity and walked over to the cub. It instinctively backed up against the wall.

"Don't worry," Luigi coaxed, "I won't hurt you." The cub turned its head away and Starlow thought she heard it whimper something.

"What's it saying?" she asked.

"What do mean what is it…" Luigi didn't get a chance to finish because the Griffin cub pounced on him with its eyes shut tight.

"You'd better not hurt me or my daddy will come and rip you to pieces!" he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You can talk!" Luigi cried in disbelief. The Griffin cub didn't say another word and ran for the back exit only to smash right into one of the stone statues. Starlow quickly flew over to the little animal who was crying a river now.

"Calm down please!" Starlow cried, "We're not here to hurt you! We just want to know why you're here!"

"That mean spiky turtle came and tried to wipe us out but they fled and accidentally left me!" he cried. His tears created a small puddle at his feet. Starlow tried to comfort him while Luigi balled his free hand into a fist surging with electricity and raised it to the sky.

"How far must he go to destroy this beautiful land!" he yelled in outrage, "Bowser! Show yourself or I swear I'll kill you immediately the next time I see you!" Lightning and thunder erupted from the sky as he yelled curses to the evil Koopa, only causing the Griffin cub to cry harder.

"LUIGI!" Starlow screamed, "Stop it!" Luigi quickly came to his senses and the lightning stopped. He saw the Griffin cub crying harder than it had been.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I didn't realize…"

"It's okay," said the Griffin cub tears still running down from his eyes, "I… I just don't like loud noises."

"Do you have a name we can call you by?" asked Starlow. Immediately, the cub seemed hesitant.

"What's wrong?" asked Starlow.

"My mommy told me I shouldn't talk to strangers…" he said.

"I told my son the same thing," said Luigi, "You have very smart parents. Now go ahead and dry your tears. We'll help you find your parents and your people."

"Really?" asked the cub with renewed hope.

"You can count on it," said Luigi, "Then I'll get my revenge on Bowser for everybody in this land who he has hurt." He patted the cub on the head noticing a small imprint of four ellipses forming an "x" above his left eye. He smiled. "Including you," he finished.

"But Luigi, what about the Power Star?" asked Starlow, "Weren't we looking for something here?"

"Not anymore," said Luigi.

"Huh?" said Starlow.

"The star stopped reacting a while back but I didn't notice until just now," said Luigi. He looked at the Power Star's face again, seeing that its eyes were actually shimmering with a slight hope now. Oblivious to what might have caused it, he turned to his two friends.

"Alright then," said Luigi, "Let's get moving to find your family." He turned to leave but the cub suddenly spoke up.

"My… my name is Daniel," he said. Luigi stopped and turned around. He took a good long look at Daniel before he spoke again.

"That is a very nice name," said Luigi, "I couldn't think of any better name to give somebody." He pulled three small beaded bracelets out of his cloak. They had been gifts from the hermit a long time ago, just a few weeks after they had met for the first time. He had received many from his old friend but only stashed them in his cloak rather than wearing them.

"Give them only to those you consider friends, for they represent friendship and connections between people," the hermit had said when he had given the bracelets to him, "These people who you give them to shall be the ones who will be the most helpful advisors to you in the hardest times."

He gave two of them, one to Starlow and the other to Daniel. Starlow put hers on her head like a headband while Luigi helped Daniel fasten his onto his left paw. He then put one on his own wrist.

"These are friendship bracelets," said Luigi, "For as long as you have them, we will all be friends." Starlow nodded and Daniel smiled and wagged his tail.

"Let's go already!" he cried. He dashed out of the hole they had all entered through, Luigi and Starlow right behind him, and the three of them ran towards the castle's entrance, dashing off of the premises so as to find Daniel's family, the three Star Cures, and whatever the Power Star wanted them to go to. And the Power Star with its own weak mind looked ahead of the group, searching for what it needed. Power, energy… whatever was necessary to cure its illness that Bowser had cast upon it to remove its power and keep it out. And it saw it, far across the Bumpsy Plains, towards the Dark Lands; a blue sphere with a pointed top, imprinted with a star on one side and on the other, a newer symbol, the imprint of four ellipses forming an "x." It began shuddering and trying to turn in that direction, to the east. It too, was looking for the Star Cures. And Daniel had come into contact with one.

* * *

**A/N: Well, now we know that the Star Cures have something to do with Power Stars. Luigi and Starlow have a new friend who is a Griffin and just so happens to be named Daniel… just like Luigi's son right? For those who don't know, a Griffin is a half eagle, half lion mythical creature. There have been many variations of what it looks like, but this is my version! And there is something very special about those friendship bracelets that will be revealed soon… what could it be? It's already been hinted at! **

**I do not own Mario characters, ideas, or places. All of them are property of Nintendo.**


	6. Guardian Revealed, Stalking Begun

Chapter 6: Guardian Revealed, Stalking Begun

"WHAT!" Bowser yelled at the Koopa below him, "What do you mean Kamek was defeated?"

"Sir," said the small Koopa, "A cloaked figure showed up and Kamek tried to defeat him, just like you told him to. But Kamek got defeated instead." Bowser torched the poor thing until his skin turned black.

"How dare you bring me bad news! Where is that Magikoopa right now anyways?" asked Bowser in annoyance.

"He's coming right now to apologize for failure," said the now torched Koopa.

"Leave my sight!" Bowser yelled, "Bring in Kamek!" The Koopa quickly obeyed and stumbled to the doors. They opened up via a Magikoopa's magic and Kamek came into the room while the Koopa went out.

"Your Burliness, I'm afraid I was defeated by that cloaked figure," said Kamek as he came before Bowser, "He wouldn't take off his hood so I couldn't see his face but he apparently knows who we are."

"So I've been told," said Bowser, "What happened?"

"My magic was no match for his powerful electrical abilities," said Kamek, "And he knows his science too. He used the water of the lake against me and changed the magnetic field!"

"We have to figure out who he is quickly or we'll be running back to Loserville with our tails between our legs," said Bowser, "And Larry won't ever get off my back about that guy throwing him off of his ship."

"But how Your Powerfulness?" asked Kamek. An evil smile crept across Bowser's face.

"Spying!" he said suddenly, "We must spy on him until he takes his hood off!"

"But where is he now?" asked Kamek.

"You've got a wand so use it!" yelled Bowser.

"Oh right," said Kamek, "I will not fail you this time!" With that, he pulled out his broom and flew out of the room. Bowser heard shouts down the hall about not putting in GPS controls into wands while flying on a broom. He turned to the jail cells to his left on the right side of his throne room. He kept his most hated prisoners there so they could gaze upon his superiority.

"Well somebody is coming to try to defeat me," said Bowser, "Isn't that nice?" His prisoners glared at him, one of them in particular. There were only two of them in the particular cell he was looking at. One was a young woman with blonde hair wearing a tattered pink dress and the other was a man sporting blue overalls, a red hat with a large "M" on it, and a red shirt.

"You can't possibly be _that_ angry at me can you Mario?" asked Bowser tauntingly, "I mean, I only took over the entire universe, kidnapped both of you, and took your only child who so rudely escaped me. You should have taught him some manners. Though it doesn't matter. He's probably dead by now." Mario smashed his fist against the bars again in hatred. It had to be for at least the millionth time. He had first been brought here ten years before, followed shortly by Peach and everybody else in this throne room that was a former important figure in the Mushroom World.

Mario fell to his knees again. Tears constantly streamed down his cheeks, unable to stop at any cost. Everything Bowser had said was true, though he wished that it all wasn't. He and Peach had a son together in their imprisonment but Bowser had stolen him away and kept him separate from his parents saying that, "He will grow up to be an important figure in my army." But a fateful event had let him go free six years after his birth, which turned out to be a traitorous Magikoopa who had fallen for the child and raised him. That Magikoopa was killed but Mario and Peach were forever in her debt, though they had never known her name. And now Mario cried in brokenness for everything he had lost. Nothing could give him hope ever, except for a rescue.

"Luigi, where in the universe are you?" Mario asked quietly as he cried.

* * *

Daniel had led Luigi and Starlow a long way to the east before they finally stopped for a rest. As they ate from the stash of food in Luigi's cloak, they began to talk about their next move.

"My pack is very near, I'm sure of it!" Daniel said confidently, "And they've been here just recently!"

"Well that's good," said Starlow, "That means we're getting close. I'm exhausted!"

"You floated this whole way," said Luigi, "How could you possibly be exhausted?" Luigi had noticed earlier that the Power Star was wiggling in his arms again. It now lay in his lap, still wiggling around uncomfortably.

"Why do you think the star is wiggling like this?" asked Luigi.

"I don't know," said Starlow, "It wants to go somewhere, and I've heard that the Power Stars have a little bit of a mind of their own."

"I think it's looking for energy or something to fuel it," said Luigi, "It must know it has been drained."

"Wait, let me see that thing," said Daniel suddenly. Luigi was surprised at his remark but he put the star on the ground where it seemed to try to move to the east, the same direction the group had been going in the first place. Daniel walked over and sniffed a few times with his beak.

"I thought birds couldn't smell," said Starlow.

"We Griffins can because we're half lion," Daniel said without looking up, "I knew it! This is one of those legendary stars!" He looked up now at Luigi and Starlow.

"I've heard of these," he said, "My pack's treasure can restore their energy with little effort!" Luigi and Starlow were shocked.

"Y-your pack's treasure?" asked Luigi.

"Yes!" said Daniel, "My daddy guards it for the whole world so nobody can get to it. At least, that's what he said. He let me play with it once." The star seemed to want to get closer to Daniel as though he were its cure.

"What does the treasure look like?" asked Starlow.

"It's a blue sphere with a red star on the front and this symbol on the back," said Daniel, raising his talon to above his left eye where the ellipse-made "x" was imprinted, "It's the symbol of the pack."

"The Star Cure," said Luigi in shock, "Your pack has the Star Cure!"

"What's a Star Cure?" asked Daniel. Luigi explained to Daniel the concept of the Star Cures in a brief summary. Daniel was so befuddled by the story he had to have it repeated three times before he finally understood how valuable it was.

"Wow! I knew my daddy was amazing!" he finally exclaimed, "He's so awesome to be guarding an awesome treasure like that!"

"We have to hurry and find the pack!" said Starlow, "We need to get that Star Cure! It may be our key to defeating Bowser!"

"No," said Luigi, "I don't think it will help us defeat Bowser." He looked down at the Power Star which seemed desperate to come into some contact with Daniel. "But it will help us to regenerate the Power Stars which might be able to help defeat the enemy," he finished.

But before his sentence was finished, something flew quickly overhead and then a few more. Luigi and Starlow looked around in panic but Daniel looked up with joy.

"My pack!" he cried, "My pack came back!" Luigi and Starlow were surprised and suddenly, a much larger Griffin than Daniel burst from the trees and embraced Daniel.

"Daddy!" Daniel cried happily. The Griffin that had Daniel looked just like him but he had a large mane and was much bigger.

"Oh Daniel, I'm so glad you're alright!" his father said. The Power Star went insane in that moment. It began shaking like crazy and trying to float, wiggle, jump… anything to get to Daniel's father. Daniel's father looked over at Starlow and Luigi.

"Who are you two?" he asked fiercely. Luigi was almost too petrified to respond looking at the mighty creature.

"M-my name is Luigi," he said shakily, "And this is Starlow." Starlow nodded.

"What were you doing with my son?" he asked. Daniel butted in.

"Daddy, they're my friends!" he spoke up, "They were helping me find you and they're on a mission too! They're going to beat the big spiky turtle that tried to hurt us!" Daniel's father looked them over again.

"Very well," he said, "You seem to be unsuspicious." He took notice of the star going crazy on the ground. It had successfully moved three feet and was still trying to get over to the large griffin.

"Is that one of the legendary stars?" he asked in amazement.

"Yes," said Luigi, "It is what we call a Power Star and it is drained. Daniel told us you had one of the three Star Cures to heal it." The griffin nodded.

"Yes, I most certainly do have the Star Cure," said Daniel's father, "Come to the next clearing where we landed. We will speak more there. My name is Canzor. Pleased to meet you. Shall we go?" Luigi nodded and pulled his hood over his head so that his face was unrecognizable. Starlow paid no heed and followed Canzor to the next clearing while Luigi lingered behind with the Power Star. And as they walked, the blue robed figure known as Kamek descended upon them from the sky and hid in the treetops of the woods they were walking through. He saw that the griffin cub was now on his father's back and the Star Sprite and cloaked man were behind them and that the cloaked man held a drained Power Star.

"Soon cloaked one," he cackled, "Soon we will know exactly who you are!"

* * *

**A/N: Kamek is on to them, or should I say, him! And of course, Mario and Peach are in Bowser's prison; but which one (since he probably has quite a lot of them)? What's this about the two of them having a son? And will Canzor give Luigi the Star Cure or will Luigi have to do something first? All of these questions will be answered… eventually!**

**I do not own any Mario characters, ideas, or places. All are the property of Nintendo.**


	7. The First Star Cure

Chapter 7: The First Star Cure

As Luigi, Starlow, Daniel, and Canzor walked into the clearing the whole Griffin pack stared at them. There were only about thirteen adults and five cubs, proving that species was very rare. Canzor walked through the center of the group and they parted for him so that he could sit up on a rock. Daniel nuzzled the female sitting next to Canzor, causing Luigi to assume that she was his mother. The star, now in Luigi's arms, was going completely insane, the griffins looking at it like it was crazy.

"Welcome Luigi and Starlow," said Canzor, "This is our pack and I am its leader, the guardian of the red Star Cure." Luigi noticed that none of the griffins in the pack, save Canzor, the female sitting right next to him, and Daniel, had the same "x" symbol as Daniel above their left eyes.

"They have brought Daniel all this way to try to find us, but we found them instead," said Canzor, "We appreciate your help and understand you need our pack's treasure. But first, you will need to show us your skills by…" Before he could finish his sentence, an explosion occurred, blinding everybody. When they were able to see again, a blue robed Magikoopa stood in the middle of the group, holding Daniel above his head unconscious.

"You again!" Luigi yelled.

"Yes, me again!" Kamek yelled back, "I'll just be taking this Griffin cub since he seems so important to this pack's survival! Toodles!" He vanished in another flash of bright light. When this light cleared, Luigi immediately began looking for clues as to where Daniel may have been taken.

"What just happened!" Canzor roared, "Where is my son?" The whole pack was in panic now at the loss of Daniel. Luigi suddenly felt something on his wrist squeezing.

"What in the world?" he asked himself as he raised the wrist to his cloaked face. The friendship bracelet he had put on himself was glowing, flashing on and off.

"What is this thing?" he asked himself.

"Luigi…" he heard a whispering voice.

"Daniel!" Luigi cried out. The whole pack turned to him.

"What's going on?" Canzor demanded.

"The bracelets… they're communicators!" Luigi said suddenly.

"Hey, mine is glowing too!" Starlow exclaimed as she looked up at her head where the bracelet was. Luigi turned his attention back to his own bracelet.

"Listen Daniel, I need you to communicate with Starlow," said Luigi, "That guy _cannot_ know my name."

"W-why Lu…" Daniel started.

"Don't say it!" Luigi commanded, "Connect to Starlow's bracelet now!" He thought he heard a click like a cell phone being cut off. Suddenly, Daniel's voice came from Starlow's bracelet, or rather, headband.

"I can hear him!" said Starlow, "Where are you Daniel?"

"Head southeast towards a thorny place," he said hoarsely, "The blue robed guy doesn't know I'm awake yet. Hurry! Now he's doing some weird magic on one of those bitey plants… Oh my gosh! Hurry and find me! That thing is going to eat me!" The line went dead.

"Let's move!" Luigi called to Starlow as he stuffed the Power Star into his cloak.

"Right!" Starlow responded. Canzor ran up to Luigi.

"You can ride on my back," he said, "It'll be faster." Luigi nodded and climbed on holding Starlow tightly as Canzor flew off towards the direction that Daniel had given them.

* * *

Canzor hit the ground in the middle of a thorny part of the forest they were in, just as Daniel had instructed.

"Where could he be?" asked Luigi as he climbed off of Canzor's back and pulled his hood back on which had come off while they were flying. The three of them heard a sudden bloodcurdling scream.

"I say we follow the screams," said Starlow.

"Good idea," said Luigi. They ran straight after the terrible sounds until they finally reached a clearing. Above them, hanging from a tree was the cage that held Daniel. But if that wasn't scary enough, they looked directly below it and saw an enormous Piranha Plant in an enormous warp pipe.

"Well, some people are late!" Kamek's voice yelled down. They all looked up and saw Kamek flying around on his broom above the scene.

"You are about to witness a griffin cub get eaten by a Piranha Plant unless you surrender your identity to me," said Kamek pointing at Luigi.

"I think I'll fight the stupid thing instead," said Luigi, readying his electrical powers.

"Wrong choice!" Kamek said with a stupid grin. He spread more magic dust over the Piranha Plant and it began to step out of the warp pipe. What stepped out was even more gruesome. It had leaves for hands and feet and was incredibly fat, so fat that it took a few seconds to get out of the pipe. It looked like Petey Piranha but without the flower petals. Instead, Kamek made it grow thorns. It roared its cry and looked hungrily down at the triad below.

"I must be going now," said Kamek, "I have very many things I must do. Have fun with Pudgy Piranha!" With that, he flew off north into the forest, leaving Luigi to face the enormous plant.

"Now what do we do?" Starlow asked.

"I'll distract it," said Luigi, "Canzor, get Daniel out of that cage. Starlow, follow me." Canzor and Starlow both nodded and Starlow landed on Luigi's shoulder while Canzor dashed into the trees to the side. Luigi unleashed the electricity he had been holding in for the whole time, but only stunned the enormous Piranha Plant.

"It's like it's deflecting the electricity!" Starlow realized. Luigi drew his dagger from his cloak.

"Then we'll go full force," he said. He charged forward at Pudgy Piranha and jumped up on top of his head, clearing a thorn and landing on the back of his head. The Piranha Plant immediately began trying to shake him off but Luigi held on and slashed off one of the monster's thorns.

The carnivorous plant yowled in pain and shook Luigi and Starlow off.

"That's not going to work!" Starlow cried, "It only made him angrier!" Luigi noticed a toxic lake just a few meters behind him.

"Yes it did work," said Luigi, "Start making him stumble towards me!"

"What?" asked Starlow in disbelief.

"Just do it!" Luigi yelled. Starlow reluctantly flew up by the plant's head again and began slamming her body into his face. Just as Luigi had asked, Pudgy began stumbling backwards towards him. Just then, the two of them heard a snap. Luigi looked up and saw that Canzor had severed the branch from the tree and shattered the bars of the cage. Daniel quickly ran over to his father who embraced him and then put him on his back. Luigi nodded and Canzor flew off with Daniel.

In the meantime, Starlow had almost backed Pudgy Piranha into Luigi, who quickly dashed out of the way.

"Get down here now!" he called to Starlow. Starlow did as she was told and flew down to the bushes where Luigi was hiding. The monstrous plant began looking for his enemy and turned towards the bushes.

"How did he find us?" asked Luigi.

"Piranha Plants have an excellent sense of smell," Starlow said in panic, "What do we do?" Pudgy Piranha slowly began walking towards the bushes that provided a hiding spot for them when suddenly, Luigi got an idea.

"This thing is carnivorous right?" he asked Starlow silently.

"Yeah," said Starlow, "Why?" Luigi produced a piece of raw meat from his cloak and threw it as hard as he could towards the toxic lake he had seen. It landed right on the bank. Immediately, Pudgy Piranha changed direction and went after the meat. Luigi put away his dagger and pulled out his hammer. He ran out just as the enormous piranha plant was reaching the meat and dashed at him and smashed him in the back with the hammer. Pudgy Piranha lost his balance and fell forwards into the toxic lake. His body immediately disintegrated, leaving one of the thorns from his head floating on the poisonous water to be slowly corroded.

"That was amazing!" Starlow cried from back at the bushes. Luigi put away the hammer and walked back over to her.

"Let's get back to the Griffin pack," said Luigi.

* * *

Kamek watched from afar as the cloaked figure and Starlow left the scene.

"Darn it! Darn it! Darn it!" Kamek cried, "That bumbling fool was supposed to lose! I have to find some way to get him to take that hood off or I'll never figure out who he is!" He jumped on his broom in frustration and flew off towards the southern coast of the Mushroom Kingdom, hoping to come up with something that would cause the cloaked figure to reveal his identity.

* * *

When the two of them arrived back, the Griffin pack held a small celebration in their honor. When the sun was about to set in the western sky, Canzor sat upon a rock with Daniel on his head.

"We would all like to thank you, Luigi and Starlow, for bringing Daniel, the son of myself and my wife Yena, back to our clan and helping save him from a terrible fate," said Canzor. The whole pack cheered in agreement. The Griffiness next to him named Yena spoke up this time.

"My husband and I have been talking it over and we have decided that you should receive our pack's treasure as a reward for all of your help," said Yena.

"Daniel, if you please," said Canzor. Daniel nodded and took a blue, spherical item from his father's mane in his mouth and jumped off of his father's back. He walked up to Luigi and dropped the item at his feet. Luigi picked it up and wiped it off. It was the Star Cure.

"Thank you very much sir," said Luigi.

"You're very welcome," said Canzor, "But you must receive one more thing before you can use the Cure's powers fully."

"What is that?" asked Luigi.

"It's a new feature to the Star Cures so that nobody can use them but those who bear their markings," Starlow spoke up. Luigi turned the Star Cure around and saw that it had the exact same symbol imprinted above the left eyes of Yena, Canzor, and Daniel.

"That is correct," said Canzor, "We must mark you with the symbol of leadership in the Griffin pack." A Griffin from the right side of the group walked forwards with a bowl of yellow paint in his mouth and gave it to Canzor. The Griffin chieftain dipped his paw in the paint and began drawing the symbol on the back of Luigi's right glove. When it was finished, it glowed and burned a little, but was solidified onto Luigi's glove and likely, judging by how much it burned, his hand as well.

"You are an official member of the Griffin pack now," said Canzor, "Whether you are Griffin or not we are honored to have you as one of us." The pack gave a huge roar for such a small pack. The Power Star, which had been put in Luigi's cloak for the whole time, was pulled out and Luigi, with intense mental concentration was able to connect the Star Cure's powers with the Power Star. There was a huge flash of light and then all was back to normal. The Power Star once again shone with its lustrous golden gleam, floating in the air just above everybody's heads.

"Finally, the Power Star is fully recovered," said Starlow, "But what did Bowser do to it that made it lose all of its energy? They're usually unlimited energy sinks."

"We have to find out and destroy that big ugly idiot!" Luigi said angrily, "I will defeat him in the name of all things good left in this universe!" The cry was treated like a rallying cry and the Griffin's roared in unison with him.

"You have our full support," said Canzor, "Rest with us for tonight and then set out tomorrow. If you're looking for more Star Cures, I can give you an approximate location of the next holder then. We'll be rooting for you the whole way!" One more roar was let up before the moon rose and the fire was extinguished.

* * *

**A/N: Oh my gosh! The Friendship Bracelets are communicators! But later on, we'll discover that they only work under very special conditions. Where the heck did the hermit get those? And the Power Star is completely revitalized now! But it's going to take a lot more than just one Star Cure to revive all of the Power Stars that Bowser may have drained. Will Luigi and Starlow find all of the Star Cures? Maybe, maybe not! **

**I do not own any Mario characters, ideas, or places. All of them belong to Nintendo.**


	8. Lost in the Worst Place Possible

Chapter 8: Lost in the Worst Place Possible

After they said their good byes, Luigi and Starlow set off for the western side of the Mushroom Kingdom according to Canzor's instructions.

"If you head west, you'll end up in a thick wood," Canzor had said, "When you arrive there, seek out the one named Chlorus. He is the second Star Cure guardian."

So now, with the Star Cure and a fully charged Power Star in hand, they headed west towards where Chlorus would be found. At the moment they were passing through some woods, though not the ones they were looking for, that seemed rather spooky. Trees around them were gnarled and the moon, which had come up above them suddenly, hung in a crescent shape in the sky. It cast a haunting glow across the trees.

"L-Luigi?" Starlow asked, "Where is this?" Luigi was trembling in fear at his bad memories of this place. He pulled on his hood again in fear that something might see his face.

"I hate to say it, but these are the Boo Woods," he said nervously.

"W-we only have to pass through," said Starlow, "Right?"

"We just need to keep heading west," Luigi said, trying to sound at least a little confident. It was hard, for he had a fear of ghosts and was not armed with the strange gadget that Professor E. Gadd had given him ten years ago known as the Poltergust 3000, but he managed to keep his cool. They walked in silence for a while until finally, Starlow spoke up.

"Alright, this is killing me," she complained, "We need to use the Power Star's light to light our way." Luigi nodded and pulled the Power Star out of his cloak. Its light lit up their surroundings so that they could see better.

"O… kay," said Luigi nervously, "I'm pretty sure we passed through this area three minutes ago."

"That's impossible!" Starlow cried, "We've been moving perfectly straight!"

"Anything is possible in the Boo Woods," said Luigi, "Ghosts can make us see anything they want to, and they are definitely around." He began shaking even more. His phobia caused a natural reflex to shiver whenever ghosts were around.

"Uh-oh," said Luigi, "I think we're intruders now."

"W-what?" said Starlow. Out of nowhere, a Boo appeared in front of them and screeched.

"AUUUUGGGHHH!" Luigi screamed. He ran in the opposite direction grabbing the Power Star, with Starlow hanging on to his cloak in fear. The Boo followed them slowly.

"It's following us!" Luigi yelled in terror.

"Turn around and look at it straight in the eye!" Starlow yelled.

"What in the name of Thurius will that do?" Luigi asked.

"Who the heck is Thurius?" asked Starlow in confusion. She had never heard the name Thurius in her life. Luigi didn't answer and screamed again, for the ghost was gaining on them.

"Just turn around and look at it!" Starlow screeched, "Don't you know your enemies? Stop panicking and just do it!" Luigi's mind cleared and he remembered the best way to stop a Boo. He skidded to a halt and turned around, locking eyes with the spooky creature. Though he was terrified, he saw that it had worked. The Boo had its eyes closed, a red blush under them, and its hands over its eyes. Luigi stood transfixed for a few seconds before Starlow snapped him back into reality.

"Luigi!" she cried, "It's fine now! We just need a bright light!" Luigi rummaged through his cloak and pulled out a flashlight that he always kept with him if he needed a night light, which was rare nowadays. He flicked it on right in the ghost's face and it screeched and disintegrated into white dust.

"Why didn't you use that earlier!" Starlow yelled.

"Sorry," said Luigi, "I was too scared." Starlow rolled her eyes but noticed something shiny on the ground under where the Boo had been floating.

"What is that?" she asked. Luigi reached down and picked it up. It was a small key with a paper wrapped around it. Luigi slowly unfolded it. The words on the page were written in big lettering and a lot of them were misspelled or with improper grammar.

_Hay buddy! Its us thu Boos! Well it looks like yore lost and nead sumware to go! See that manshun on thu hill up their? Go thare! We dare you!_

_Signed, the Boos_

Luigi looked around and saw that they were indeed lost and then looked up on the hill. Sure enough, there was a huge mansion sitting right there.

"It's obviously another one of the Boos' tricks," said Starlow, "We'd better not go."

"I agree," said Luigi. Unfortunately, as soon as the words left his mouth, it began to rain on them.

"Shoot," said Luigi. Then he began yelling at the sky.

"This is just great you stupid ghosts!" he yelled, "I wonder if you realized that I'm wearing a cloak…" A hailstone hit him in the face.

"Ouch!" he yelled, "Dang it!"

"Well, it looks like we have no choice," said Starlow, "We can just use the Power Star to shoo them all away."

"Right," said Luigi. They dashed off towards the mansion up on the hill, unaware of what to expect as a familiar, blue-robed figure watched them from the air a short distance away.

"Do us good King Boo," he said, "Confirm my suspicions about this cloaked one's identity!"

* * *

As Luigi shut the creaky door behind the two of them, it pulled out of his hand and slammed shut. Luigi tried the knob again but it was locked.

"Typical haunted mansion trick," said Luigi. He looked around the foyer. There were exactly five paintings on each wall and seemingly no exit from the current room. Each one depicted a different scene, twenty in total. At least, that's what it seemed at first. When they examined them closer, they noticed that on each wall, it was the same painting, just in a different scene. One depicted an angel fighting demon fish with a bow and arrow while another depicted a man in green stabbing his sword through the head of a pig monster. Luigi shuddered at the sight of these and moved on. The others were less gruesome.

One was a surreal painting of a pink sphere sleeping on a picnic blanket next to a basket of food in the middle of a dreamy field while another showed a happy family of three. The father was wearing a spiffy tuxedo and had brown hair and a brown mustache. The mother had on a black dress and had blonde hair, not nearly matching the dress, and blue eyes. Their son was also wearing what appeared to be an uncomfortable suit and also had blonde hair like his mother, but his eyes were brown, so brown they almost didn't look like they should be that way, like the artist had painted a family portrait but gotten the eye color wrong. The people in this portrait looked like they were going to a funeral as none of them were smiling but only had straight faces.

Luigi and Starlow gazed in awe at the paintings. But the one that puzzled them the most was the fifth one on every wall that appeared to show nothing at all but a sheet of shiny gray. After several minutes of looking at the others, Luigi finally approached the shiny gray painting on the wall in front of him. Starlow followed cautiously. When they reached the wall, they saw their reflections in the painting.

"That's not a painting at all!" said Starlow with sudden realization, "It's a mirror!" Then, strangeness occurred. The door vanished from the mirror and suddenly, out of all of the other paintings, mirrors included, shadowy figures resembling the paintings characters came. Luigi was not sure whether to believe his eyes or not. He and Starlow slowly turned around and saw that the mirror certainly wasn't lying. The door was gone and every character looked at them with scary intent. They also saw that there were their own shadowy clones that had come out of the other mirrors as perfect replicas of them.

"Oh snap," said Starlow nervously, "Oh freaking snap." Luigi readied a blast of electricity when suddenly, the lights went out. They heard a charge and Luigi unleashed the blast. The electricity turned on the lights for a few brief moments, just enough to see that the blast had only knocked the shadowy figures back. They were now looking at the two heroes even angrier than before. The lights went out again and Luigi drew his hammer. They would have to fight these enemies in the dark. And when you're fighting shadowy figures in the dark, let's just say this; it's a freaking pain in the rear.

* * *

**A/N: The Boos have trapped Luigi and Starlow in the foyer of their new haunted mansion! And now they are fighting shadows; in the dark! This ought to be… hurty. I typed this chapter in one sitting because I didn't do **_**anything**_** with my stories yesterday.**

**This chapter contained the first of many easter eggs that may be found throughout the story. Or maybe there will only be a few. The paintings all depict characters from other Nintendo video games. The first is Pit from Kid Icarus, then Link fighting Ganon for the last time in Ocarina of Time, the next is Kirby from the Kirby series (doing his favorite thing as usual), and the final reference to another game is the mirror paintings. They reference the Mirror of Truth from Kid Icarus: Uprising and create evil clones of Luigi and Starlow. I'll let you figure out what's up with the fourth painting mentioned.**

**I do not own Mario (Or any other referenced characters in this story for that matter). All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	9. Escape From the Spirit World

Chapter 9: Escape From the Spirit World

It was hopeless. Luigi was trying to hit the shadows with his electricity, but in the darkness, he couldn't even see if it was doing any good. And he was continually being pushed around by the many shadows in the room. When he tried to pull out his flashlight, it was knocked from his hand almost immediately, signifying that either there were a lot of shadows or that they could see in the dark.

"Starlow!" Luigi called, "Starlow, where are you!"

"I'm over here!" Starlow cried. Luigi turned but was punched in the back and then grabbed by the arms, but he sent a surge of electricity out and the grip on his arms was released meaning that the shadows were affected by the electricity. Now he just needed something to release it all through, but first, he needed to find Starlow. He happened to bump right into her.

"There you are!" Luigi cried, "I need to find someplace to discharge electricity!"

"Find a plug!" Starlow exclaimed, "There must be one somewhere!" Luigi felt the shadows getting closer and quickly put his hand in the air in front of him. This was a method he used for gathering and releasing electricity, because he could sense outlets where it could be absorbed or let out. But he found nothing. However, just as he was about to open his eyes, he felt the presence of energy coming from the oddest place; his cloak. He reached in and pulled out the Power Star, which illuminated the shadows in front of them.

"Power Stars have unlimited energy…" Luigi said. The shadows were practically on top of them now. Luigi shut his eyes tightly again and focused his power onto the Power Star. Then he unleashed another enormous blast of electricity, magnified greatly by the energy of the star. The lights flickered on and when Luigi opened his eyes again, he saw that the room was shadow free and all of the picture frames that had once shown amazing paintings were blank like new canvases.

"What happened?" asked Starlow.

"Power Stars are unlimited energy sinks," said Luigi, "I was able to unleash my power through it."

"But wouldn't it have turned bronze again from weakness?" asked Starlow. Luigi observed that the star was perfectly fine after using so much power. He put it back into his cloak.

"The Star Cure healed it completely," said Luigi, "Bowser must have placed some sort of curse on the Power Stars to make them lose their energy after using too much, and making them limited resources. The Star Cure is probably the only thing that can remove the curse." He walked up to one of the now blank canvases and shuddered again.

"I can sense high ghostly activity behind this canvas," he said nervously.

"Is that the right way to go?" asked Starlow.

"I don't know," said Luigi as he picked up his flashlight off of the ground nearby and put it in his cloak, "All of the canvases have something creepy behind them so probably not."

"But one of them must be an exit!" Starlow protested. Out of nowhere, one of the canvases floated off of the wall and turned sideways while starting to spin around. Luigi didn't notice because he was still observing the canvas in front of him. Starlow however, saw the canvas moving and almost didn't say anything until it seemed to aim itself at Luigi and spun at him.

"Luigi!" she yelled, "Behind you!" Luigi turned and ducked down. The canvas smashed into the wall next to him. Another canvas flew at him and then another at Starlow. Most of them missed and smashed into the walls. Luigi sliced one in half with his dagger and blocked another with an electrical force field. Finally, one of them caught Starlow in its spin cycle.

"Help!" she screamed. Luigi dodged the nineteenth canvas and rushed over to slice the canvas that had snatched Starlow, but the final canvas smacked him in the back and he fell on the floor, watching as Starlow somehow vanished into the wall when the canvas hit and shattered.

"Starlow!" Luigi cried. He rushed over to the wall and felt for any small openings that she could have gone through but there were none. He began to panic and looked around the room again. The walls were all blank and the room was completely white. He felt an evil presence and began shaking in terrible fear, drawing his hood even farther over his face. Out of nowhere, the enormous mouth of a Boo appeared on the floor and laughed its hideous laugh.

"AUUUUGGGHHH!" Luigi screamed as he fell backwards on his bottom.

"You should be scared!" an eerie voice proclaimed, "I am the king of ghosts, the one and only King Boo!" The white walls, floor and ceiling melted off literally forming the eerie shape of King Boo, leaving a void that Luigi was somehow still standing in. The floor rematerialized below him and around him the void turned bright. Luigi was now standing in an enormous hall with no walls and no ceiling, only a floor to support his feet. All around him, he felt vacuum-like eruptions that threatened to suck him into the blank void. Above the king was a floating cage that held Starlow inside.

"Starlow!" Luigi cried. Starlow tried to open her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Ah yes," said King Boo, "She cannot speak at the moment."

"What have you done?" Luigi asked with a mix of anger and fear.

"When you're at the entrance of the spirit world, your soul begins to leave your body," King Boo explained, "You will be left with nothing but an empty shell. The first thing to go happens to be your voice!" Luigi felt the effects being exerted upon him. He tried to open his mouth to say something but like Starlow, he was silenced.

"Ha! See how it works?" King Boo asked in delight. Luigi now felt nothing but fear and rage. He tried to think of how he was going to defeat King Boo but his anger blinded his thoughts. His fear however, prevented him from moving. The first step would be to conquer both. He tried to focus on the best time he'd ever had to remove the anger from his mind. He remembered when he and his brother had gone for a walk in the Spaghetti Plains and had the best meal ever there. It saddened him a little, but his anger was gone now, just like that. Then he moved onto fear. He remembered his first confrontation with the ghost king, and his last before now. He remembered how brave he had been and opened his eyes. He felt weaker from the soul sucking but his hindrances were gone. It was just him and King Boo.

"You shall be unable to move after about five more minutes in here," King Boo said leisurely, "So if you plan on defeating me, you'd better do it now." Luigi narrowed his eyes at the ghost king, being careful not to activate his anger again and pulled out the rope he had been saving for all of this time.

"Now what do you plan to do with that?" asked King Boo. Luigi began running around the hall spreading the rope until he ran out of rope.

"What is that going to do?" asked King Boo. As Luigi couldn't answer, he ignored the ghost king and pulled another thing out of his cloak. It was a wand of some sort. He had found it on the ship in a box full of them, probably going to the Magikoopas in the Mushroom Kingdom. He pointed the wand at the rope and it began to move on its own all over the room.

"Two and a half minutes," said King Boo absentmindedly as he watched the rope coil about itself until it began to form… words?

"One more minute," said King Boo looking wide eyed at the words being spelled.

"Thirty… seconds…" he said amazed at the rope. Luigi held the wand in place. King Boo stared at the rope in shock. It had spelled, "I'm not afraid of you."

"NOOOOOOO!" King Boo screamed. Luigi charged a lightning bolt and flung it at the ghost king. King Boo screamed shrilly and then all at once, everything went black.

* * *

When Luigi woke up, he found that he was no longer in the Boo Woods. He was now in a brighter place, lying on the ground of a clearing. He sat up and looked around, noticing that Starlow wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Starlow?" he called, checking his vocal abilities. He was fine.

"Ugh… Luigi, are you still alive?" he heard Starlow's voice ask from above. His eyes moved to the top of his hood, which was still miraculously on his head. Starlow suddenly jolted awake.

"What happened?" Starlow cried.

"I think we got out of that mansion," said Luigi as he stood up.

"How did you beat King Boo with that fear of ghosts you have?" asked Starlow.

"Something I studied while I was away," said Luigi, "I was trying to figure out how to conquer my fear of ghosts, though I did not succeed, but instead found what their weakness was."

"What is that?" asked Starlow. Before Luigi got a chance to answer, another voice answered for him from nearby.

"They feed on fear," it said, "You tell them you're not afraid of them and they will become extremely weak. It has to be convincing though." Luigi and Starlow turned towards the voice's direction in surprise. A young human boy who could be no older than eight peeked out from behind a tree nearby.

"What in the world…" Luigi said. The boy walked out. He wore a green T-shirt that said, "Saving the Forests, One Dead Koopa at a Time," which showed a picture of a Koopa with x's for eyes lying down and blue jeans. He had blonde hair and icy blue eyes. In his right hand, he held a ballpoint pen.

"Who are you?" asked Starlow.

"I wish I could tell you, but I don't trust you yet," said the boy. He sounded so mature it was startling.

"We're looking for a Star Cure under the guardianship of a Chlorus," said Luigi suddenly, "Do you happen to know where we should go?" The young boy huffed.

"And how do I know you're not trying to get it for Bowser?" asked the boy. Luigi looked over at Starlow and she gestured towards the marking on the back of his palm. Luigi nodded and pulled out the Star Cure already in his possession and showed the boy his hand. The boy studied them for a few moments before speaking again.

"Very well," he said, "I shall take you to Chlorus. But I tell you, it won't do any good to ask her for a Star Cure."

"Her?" asked Luigi.

"Yes her," said the boy, "Not all guardians have to be male. But I say this because she doesn't have the Star Cure. Just days ago it was stolen. You can go and see her but you won't find any Star Cure." Luigi put the Star Cure back into his cloak and folded his arms.

"Why should we believe you?" asked Luigi, "You're only an eight year old kid."

"Well, you got my age right," he said, "But if you don't believe me, why do I have this?" He put up his own hand. On its back was a symbol of three circles intertwining in a triple Venn diagram style.

"I happen to know when the Star Cure is missing or not," said the boy with a slight raise in his voice, "Because I happen to be able to use it myself!"

* * *

Again from a distance, Kamek watched as the cloaked figure and the Star Sprite talked to the boy.

"How is it possible?" he asked himself, "King Boo was defeated in his own domain, and now there are _two _Peters? Unless my suspicions are incorrect… but how is it possible! The boy fear's ghosts; just like the cloaked one. How can they not be the same person?" He frowned down on the heroes.

"I must gather more information about this cloaked figure," he said to himself, "He is not the same person as the boy for sure. Perhaps an automaton of some sort. But who would build something like that and make it afraid of ghosts? Oh well. The more evidence the better." And with that, he jumped on his broom again and rode off into the sky to plan his next shot at the cloaked figure.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi and Starlow have gotten out of the haunted mansion! Now they have met a strange boy, who has already a lot revealed about him thanks to Kamek who apparently knows him already. But from where? And who is this strange boy who has power over one of the Star Cures? **

**More Easter eggs! The first happens to be a reference to the floor tile enemies from the Legend of Zelda series, but this time, with blank canvases! The second could only be caught if you watch the Pokemon anime. The room with the battle against King Boo is a reference to episode 25 of the Black and White series when Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket almost get sucked into the Ghost World by a bunch of Litwick and a Lampent and they end up in a room that looks almost like my description (Just a lot scarier and more colorful).**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	10. A Magic Pen and a Confused Koopa

Chapter 10: A Magic Pen and a Confused Koopa

Luigi studied the symbol on the back of the boy's hand carefully. The three intertwining circles forming a strange triple Venn diagram seemed to ripple with power as the boy's fist clenched tighter.

"It sure looks like it could be a Star Cure symbol," said Starlow.

"By Thurius, it is a Star Cure symbol," said Luigi.

"There's that name again!" Starlow exclaimed, "Why do you keep saying Thurius?"

"Who's Thurius?" asked Luigi. He looked at the boy as though expecting an answer. Starlow just stared for a few seconds.

"I don't know any Thurius," said the boy, "Never heard the name either."

"I wasn't going to ask you that," said Luigi, "You said you could get us to Chlorus right?"

"Yes," said the boy, huffing again, "She's a good friend of mine who lives in the Hidden Forest. And there's a big reason it's called that."

"It's hidden?" Starlow guessed.

"Very well too," said the boy, "If we'll be travelling together for a while, you may as well know my name, even though I don't fully trust you. I am Peter."

"My name is Starlow," said Starlow cheerfully.

"I am Luigi," Luigi said softly.

"Good, now that that's done, we can start moving," said Peter, "Follow me closely. These woods are infested with Koopas." Luigi didn't like the sound of that. They would probably end up fighting every second of the way. And as it happened, he was right. The second they hit the next clearing, they were ambushed by a whole group of Fire Bros. Almost immediately, the bros. set the forest on fire and then turned their attention on the small group of heroes. Luigi readied a jolt to stun them all but something Peter did caught him off guard. Peter had pointed the pen he had been holding above the treetops and now seemed to be trying to draw something in the air.

The Fire Bros. struck again but Luigi somersaulted under their fire and fired the jolt of electricity. The whole group was stunned and paralyzed just as Luigi had intended. Suddenly, the area became dark. Luigi looked up and gasped. Above them was a storm cloud that looked like it had come out of a child's drawing book and it actually poured rain all over the forest. The Fire Bros. fled at the sight of the rain storm, knowing that they couldn't win under the current conditions.

"That was awesome!" Starlow cried, "How did you do that?" Peter pointed the pen at the cloud and the whole storm stopped. All of the colors it had created vanished into the pen's tip.

"This pen is magical," said Peter, "I received it from… my second mother."

"You had two mothers?" asked Luigi, "What happened to the first?"

"Never knew her," said Peter, flipping the pen in his hand and glaring at Luigi, "It's a touchy subject."

"Sorry," said Luigi.

"Let's get moving again," said Peter, "I have a few questions for you as well."

"Right," said Luigi. They began moving through the forest again, keeping lookout for any Koopas.

"So you have Phasmophobia too right?" asked Peter.

"Yes," said Luigi, "You never said you had it."

"Well I do," said Peter, "I know everything about ghosts so I know how to handle them if they ever come around."

"You're a nature lover?" asked Luigi observing Peter's shirt.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," said Peter, "I think Chlorus rubbed off on me. The grove she lives in is astounding." He paused at a large tree to look up. Luigi and Starlow looked up as well. The branches of the tree were amazing, as was its height. It was at least hundreds of feet tall and it had at least ten different kinds of fruits hanging on its branches in different colors and varieties.

"You don't see these much anymore," said Peter, "The Great Fruitfuls. They produce more fruit than any other species. Unfortunately, I only know of five still in existence in this world."

"Only five?" asked Starlow.

"Most have been cut down for their fruit," said Peter, "Others just to clear land for towns. I hate towns."

"Makes sense," said Luigi. He was starting to like this kid. It was like having his own son around; minus the intense maturity of course. As they moved on, the forest became darker. Luigi became nervous again that they were headed into the Boo Woods but Peter reassured him.

"That is the one wood I will never explore and never lead anyone into," said Peter. He cracked a small smile as he said it, the first one Luigi had ever seen out of him in the short time they had travelled together.

"I feel a powerful presence up ahead," said Starlow.

"One last question before we get to this presence," said Peter, "Where did you get those electrical powers?" Luigi took a moment before answering in a long story. He explained from the point where he got the Thunderhand, to when Starlow sent him to Sarasaland, to the point he was at now. That was just long enough to reach the entrance to the darkest part of the woods.

"What's in there?" Luigi asked. Peter didn't answer. He seemed to be contemplating Luigi's story.

"Peter?" asked Luigi.

"Oh," said Peter, snapping out of his thoughts, "I don't really know. The creature that lives here changes every time. I know them all though so we should be fine." He dashed into the clearing and Luigi followed with Starlow, hoping that Peter knew what he was doing.

* * *

The monster that was waiting for them was an enormous bird with beautiful feathers and a piercing, yellow glare. Its talons were like swords; all ten of them, and it made any other bird ashamed of its strength or size. This thing was at least ten stories high. Luigi was surprised that he hadn't seen it from farther away.

"What the heck is that thing?" asked Starlow.

"Her name is Pheona," said Peter, "She's a Phoenix."

"A really evil looking Phoenix," said Starlow backing up. Luigi grabbed her.

"Peter has it under control," said Luigi, "Don't worry about it."

"That's the last thing I expected to hear from you," said Starlow, who apparently still hadn't adjusted to Luigi's new style. Luigi, in truth, was actually quite scared on the inside for leaving his fate to an eight year old boy. Peter simply walked up to the enormous bird.

"Pheona, I have come to reenter the Labyrinth leading to the Hidden Forest," said Peter, "Please allow passage for three." Pheona gave a screech in return.

"Uh… can you understand that thing?" asked Starlow.

"Yeah," said Peter who had suddenly turned pale, "But that time I couldn't understand her which is very, very, very bad!" Pheona roared and spread her talons at the three of them. Peter panicked and hid behind a rock which the Phoenix easily sliced in half. Luigi ran for the monstrous bird's backside but he was caught underneath her huge body as she flew up to get a better look at her victims. She saw him below her and screamed a bloodthirsty cry. But suddenly, a lightning bolt came from nowhere and struck her, surging through her body and out through her talons. She fell to the ground unconscious, much to Peter and Starlow's amazement, both of whom were cowering behind fallen trees. Luigi had drawn his dagger underneath the Phoenix and summoned a lightning bolt to it, catching Pheona in the middle.

"H-how did you…" Peter was unable to finish. Luigi put his dagger within his cloak.

"As I said before," said Luigi, "I am the Green Thunder, controller of electricity. Can we still enter this labyrinth that will take us to the Hidden Forest?"

"Uh… yes," said Peter still dumbfounded at how much energy Luigi must have unleashed. They all walked towards the ruins that Pheona had been guarding. There was a small hole in the front wall leading down into the earth.

"So this is the entrance to the labyrinth?" asked Starlow.

"Exactly," said Peter, looking back at Pheona's unconscious body, "May I ask you one more question before we go in?"

"Yes, what is it?" asked Luigi.

"How did you unleash so much energy in a single shot?" asked Peter.

"It takes years of practice," said Luigi, "The Thunderhand makes it easier on me so I don't use too much energy. Without it, I must limit how much electricity I can use. But with this…" He produced the Power Star from his cloak.

"This allows me unlimited energy no matter how much electricity I use," said Luigi.

"So you've been using that this whole time?" asked Starlow.

"Yes," said Luigi, "Ever since it was healed."

"Hey, there's one of those in the labyrinth!" Peter suddenly realized.

"Really?" asked Luigi.

"Yeah, I saw it once but I left it alone," said Peter, "But I know where it was because I know the labyrinth like the back of my hand; literally." At first, the two of them didn't understand what he meant until Luigi remembered what was on the back of Peter's hand.

"It's shaped like the symbol isn't it," said Luigi.

"You've got it," said Peter. And on that note they charged down into the darkness of the maze.

* * *

Kamek sat upon the roof of the ruins. He had been yelled at by Bowser twice already for losing the cloaked figure and was still baffled by his identity. He'd been so bored and confused he'd turned the Phoenix evil for fun. He couldn't be the child that he was with because then there would have to be two of that child. It didn't make any sense! The child had Phasmophobia and the cloaked figure had the same, but yet here they were walking into a labyrinth together with a Star Sprite as though they were two separate people, which probably meant they were.

"But who else do I know that has Phasmophobia?" he asked himself. He decided to consult the Bowser Book, the book had written but Bowser had come up with. It contained information and secrets on every enemy Bowser had come to know, and had a top 10 section for his most hated or dangerous. Surely that would have information on an enemy with Phasmophobia! He summoned the book to him immediately. He gave a crooked smile as he looked at it. It was extremely thick and Kamek loved reading.

"Time to get started," Kamek said to himself.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi, Starlow, and Peter have completed the first leg of the journey to get to the Hidden Forest where Chlorus resides, but they will make a quick pit stop in the labyrinth to find the Power Star hidden there. Is this one drained as well? And will Kamek ever stop being so clueless and just discover that the cloaked figure is Luigi? My first attempt ever at uploading two chapters in one day. I'm always afraid that the second one isn't going to be written as well as the first for some reason.**

**The only reference here is actually a reference to one of my fictionpress stories, Do You Believe in Random? The pen Peter uses is similar to the one that one of my characters uses in the story, able to create things from thin air.**

**I do not own Mario. All Mario characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	11. Traversing the Maze

Chapter 11: Traversing the Maze

As Luigi and Starlow followed Peter's guidance through the dimness of the maze, they noticed that roots were growing on the ceilings, out of the walls, and even from the floor.

"Are there a lot of trees above here?" asked Luigi.

"Yep," said Peter without looking back, "Almost all of the westernmost part of the Mushroom Kingdom has been covered in woods and forests over the last ten years in a desperate attempt to protect the extinction of nature from Bowser."

"By Chlorus I suppose," said Starlow as she looked at all of the roots, "Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"Positive," said Peter, "I've been walking these tunnels just about every day for the last two years. Chlorus kind of found me and brought me to the Hidden Forest. I lived there for a while until she allowed me to learn the passages of the labyrinth. Now I'm a natural." He paused at an intersection.

"This way," he said looking to the left, "I think I saw the Power Star a few passages from here." They turned and went down the left corridor, took a few rights, another left before they ended up at a dead end.

"Uh…" said Peter.

"I thought you said you knew where you were going!" Starlow snapped.

"I've only seen the Power Star once!" Peter snapped back, "It's not like I have a photographic memory or something."

"I've got it!" Luigi exclaimed. He pulled the Power Star he had out of his cloak.

"What is that going to do?" asked Peter.

"I know!" Starlow spoke up, "Power Stars can find other Power Stars because their energy is incredibly similar. They're drawn to each other!"

"Right," said Luigi, "So let's let the Power Star help us out." The star circled once or twice in the air and then pointed back the way they had come so as to lead them out of the dead end.

"Let's go," said Luigi. Starlow and Peter nodded and they followed the directions the Power Star gave them.

* * *

Peter was able to tell when they hit the center of the labyrinth.

"Here," he said suddenly, "This is the maze's center, where the three circles meet."

"How do you know?" asked Starlow.

"I can just feel it," Peter answered.

"I can feel something too," said Luigi, "Shaking!" Peter looked surprised at the remark and Starlow just looked plain confused because she was floating in the air. But soon Peter felt it and then Starlow saw it; a whole army of Koopas was coming from the direction of the entrance straight at them.

"Oh snap!" Starlow cried, "Somebody has sent a whole army after us!"

"What do we do now?" asked Luigi.

"Follow the Power Star!" Peter yelled, "I'll hold them off and catch up with you!" Luigi nodded and Starlow followed him as he followed the Power Star down the right corridor. Peter pulled out his pen again and began drawing flames at the entrance to the intersection. He made them reach all the way to the ceiling and then ran in the direction that Luigi and Starlow had gone. He looked behind him as he was running and saw that Koopas were screaming as they ran through the wall of fire. The first few lines had been burned and were screaming like rabid turtles and running around in circles. The wall wouldn't hold them for long though. When Peter hit the next intersection, he created another wall of fire so the Koopas would be slowed more. He heard faint footsteps down towards the left and ran after them, leaving the Koopas to the flames.

Peter almost lost Luigi and Starlow twice and if it weren't for his pen, he would have lost them within the corridors of the maze. He drew x-ray goggles and was able to look through the walls to find them. He also saw that the Koopas were painfully trying to make their way through the second wall of fire and Peter found it so funny that he made a third wall of flame at the next intersection he crossed through. Eventually, he caught up to his allies, as he called them at the moment. They were walking into a room as he caught up and removed the goggles.

"There you are!" said Luigi, "I think we're here."

"Yes, I vividly remember this place now," said Peter, "The Power Star was floating right over… hey, where is it?" He ran into the room but didn't see any Power Star anywhere.

"Where the heck did that thing go?" he asked loudly.

"Where is the star?" asked Luigi.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," said Peter. As they looked for the Power Star that was supposed to be in this room, Starlow watched and saw that the Power Star they had was floating towards something that was on the left wall. She floated over, ignoring Peter and Luigi who were still looking for the other star and saw a button on the wall that the Power Star had stopped at. She pressed it and suddenly, the wall flipped, almost hitting her and the Power Star. Something else flew from the flipping wall. It hit Luigi in the head and landed on the ground near Peter's feet.

"What on earth…" said Luigi as he rubbed his head. Peter looked down at what had been thrown from the wall. It was a Power Star but its color was a dull bronze.

"So he did do it to all of them!" Starlow yelled angrily, "Put some sort of a weird curse on them and then stole all of their energy!"

"I believe it's called the Parasite Curse," said Peter, "We nature lovers hate it. It's a strange spell that steals the energy of something and then prevents it from gaining more. He used it to destroy whole forests as well."

"This fits that description perfectly," said Luigi. He pulled the Star Cure out of his cloak again but before he could perform the process that healed the Power Star, a mob of angry Koopas turned the corner at the end of the corridor leading to the room they were in. A lot of them had burns all over themselves while others, mostly in the back, didn't have a scratch.

"What did you do to them?" asked Luigi as he tucked both Power Stars and the Star Cure within his cloak.

"I'll explain later," said Peter, "Let's focus on getting out of here first."

"Right," said Luigi.

"Try to get over or under them," said Starlow, "There's no way we could take out a force this big."

"How many do you think there are?" asked Luigi.

"Thousands maybe," said Starlow, "A lot of them are still looking for you guys in the corridors but I can see with my Star Vision that there are quite a lot more than you can handle as a duo."

"Star Vision?" asked Luigi, "Why did you not tell me about that before?"

"I thought you knew," said Starlow.

"Anyways, let's move," said Luigi, "Do you know the Spin Drill move?"

"Uh… I think so," said Peter.

"Do you think you could hold a hundred and eighty pounds on your shoulders?" asked Luigi.

"Maybe," said Peter beginning to sound nervous.

"Starlow, get inside my cloak," said Luigi. Starlow didn't hesitate seeing as how close the force was now and Luigi pulled out his hammer.

"Luigi! You can't force all of your weight on him! He's just a kid!" Starlow cried from inside his cloak.

"Then you'll have to go on top," Luigi told Peter. He handed the hammer to Peter and briefly explained how to perform the move. Then Peter jumped onto his shoulders as quickly as he could. The force was practically entering the room now.

"3… 2… 1… Now!" Luigi yelled. Peter spun and Luigi's heels dug into the floor. All they could hear now was the stomping of footsteps above them as they moved slowly underground.

* * *

"We did it!" Luigi cried when they emerged from the ground in the center of the labyrinth.

"That was too close…" said Peter as he caught his breath. He gave the hammer back to Luigi and Starlow came out of his cloak.

"Lead the way Peter!" she exclaimed. Peter nodded and took a deep breath before heading forwards into the maze. It curved to the left in accordance to the symbol on the back of his hand. About five different passages led away from the curve towards its inside and Peter suddenly turned to take one of them. They continued to walk down this passageway and took two lefts, a right, another left, and five more rights before arriving at a staircase.

"The labyrinth actually has ten different layouts to put in the three intertwining circles," said Peter as they walked down the steps, "I've memorized all of them. What we will find down here is what controls which layout you will encounter as well as what creature guards the labyrinth." They walked into the room and Luigi and Starlow gasped. There was a huge bright sphere encased in another sphere of glass.

"This is the brain of the labyrinth," said Peter. He gestured towards a tarp on the ground in front of it.

"And that, is the entrance to the Hidden Forest," said Peter.

"Well thanks for pointing that out, but we kind of already knew," said a voice from behind them. A snowball came out of nowhere and smashed onto the ground nearby Luigi. They all turned suddenly and their eyes were greeted by an enormous force of Koopas. At their head next to a rather large Ice Bro. was none other than one of the Koopalings himself; Iggy Koopa.

**A/N: Luigi, Starlow, and Peter have found a second Power Star in the passageways of the maze but are unable to charge it due to interference by Bowser's army. And just when they think they are home free, the whole Koopa force within the labyrinth reveals itself, led by Iggy Koopa (Who just so happens to be my favorite Koopaling)! Will the trio ever reach the Hidden Forest with so many enemies dragging them down? And has Kamek figured out that the cloaked figure is Luigi yet?**

**Three more easter eggs in this chapter! The way the Power Stars are attracted to each other is similar to the Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The next is the Spin Drill move itself. It was used by Mario and Luigi in Bowser's Inside Story to burrow underground (There might have been other games but that is the only one I have played with the feature). The other is the fact that the curse that plagues the Power Stars, the Parasite Curse, happens to have a similar name to the Parasite Spell used by Horvath in the Disney movie, **_**The Sorcerer's Apprentice, **_**as well as similar effects.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	12. How to Destroy an Army with Three People

Chapter 12: How to Destroy an Army with Three People

Luigi and Iggy glared at each other with deadly stares. Though Iggy only saw Luigi as a cloaked one, Luigi saw Iggy as one of the eight terrible Koopalings, the fourth oldest of the group. He must have gone through a growth spurt because he was about twice as tall, though not necessarily as large. Peter slowly began to move his pen around but nobody noticed.

"What are you doing here Iggy?" asked Luigi.

"What do you think?" asked Iggy, "I'm avenging what you did to my little brother! He was pretty mad when we got him back home!" Luigi remembered when he had thrown Larry Koopa off of his own boat. He didn't think that they would send a whole army after him.

"I saw that you baffled Kamek with your identity too," said Iggy, "So I'm doing him a favor too. I'm going to defeat you and figure out who the heck you are!"

"Um… sir, don't you think we should… you know, attack?" asked the Ice Bro standing next to him.

"I'm getting to that!" Iggy snapped, "Just wait Fred."

"My name is Friese," said the Ice Bro in annoyance.

"Whatever," said Iggy, "Let's commence the attack!" Suddenly, out of nowhere, a rumbling sound occurred.

"Uh… what's that?" asked Iggy.

"Sir… I think you should turn around," said Friese. Iggy turned and nearly fainted. A boulder was rolling in the corridor, smashing his troops and heading straight for them.

"Run!" Iggy yelled. The whole force ran into the room and the boulder rolled in swiftly, straight at the labyrinth's brain. But Peter withdrew it into his pen before it could hit.

"Now can we attack sir?" asked Friese.

"Sure thing Fergus!" Iggy cried in panic.

"It's Friese!" the Ice Bro complained.

"Just attack!" Iggy hollered. Friese waved his hand in the air and all of the Koopas charge at the three heroes.

"Keep them away from the entrance of the forest!" Peter yelled. Luigi nodded and pulled out his dagger, charging it with power as he did. Soon it was a sword of pure electrical energy and he charged into battle with it, slicing away enemies without even touching them. The sword's cuts turned into electrical waves that hit enemies, so he didn't even need to get close. Peter had drawn a Fire Flower and was bursting flames out of it at enemies nonstop. Luigi had only seen that done at the Smashers Tournaments he'd been to. Starlow flew over enemy heads trying to figure out what she could do to help.

"Luigi! Throw me the charged Power Star!" Starlow yelled. Luigi flung the star at her and she caught it with invisible Star Power. Then she flew to above the Labyrinth brain, Power Star above her head, and took a very deep breath. Then, she unleashed the most unbelievable sound anybody could have ever heard. If you think of a nail scraping on glass, think about a hundred times worse than that and you have the sound she emitted. Stars literally flew from the sound waves and began hitting stunned Koopas left and right. Within seconds, the entire force was decimated to just Iggy, Friese, and a few Hammer and Boomerang Bros.

"Darn it all!" Iggy yelled, "I'm going to have to destroy you myself!" He drew his wand and charged at Luigi, but he tripped over something and fell flat on his face.

"It's a good thing this pen can turn anything into reality," said Peter from behind him, "Including trip wires."

"Friese, help me out here!" Iggy yelled. Friese looked at the other Bros who looked back and forth between their commander and general. Friese slowly waved his hand again and the other Bros charged at Iggy to get him up. Starlow threw the Power Star back to Luigi and he flung a one hundred thousand volt blast of electricity at the approaching Bros. Nothing was left but ashes. Everybody in the room looked at Luigi in amazement. Peter turned, the Fire Flower still in his hand, to face Friese.

"It's the end of the line for you," said Peter fiercely. He clutched the Fire Flower tightly and small embers began to spark. The Ice Bro looked with a nervous glare at the flames. Then, he surprised Peter by flipping over his head and drop kicking him from behind. Peter hit the ground and Friese made a run for Iggy. Luigi readied another blast of electricity, but Friese was too fast. He grabbed Iggy and pulled him up and they both ran out of the room. Luigi settled his powers.

"Let them go," he said, "We'll get them next time."

"But they know where the forest entrance is!" Peter cried.

"They already knew where it was," Luigi corrected, "Someone came through here already for them and mapped their route. That person probably took the Star Cure as well."

"Chlorus would be able to describe the person who took it," said Peter, "Let's hurry and get to the Hidden Forest!" He walked over to the tarp and pulled it off of a large hole. Luigi and Starlow both looked down in amazement. They could see treetops far below, the treetops of the Hidden Forest.

"It's… underground?" Luigi asked in awe.

"They don't call it hidden for nothing," said Peter.

"Yeah, that's pretty well hidden," said Starlow.

"Let's go!" Peter exclaimed. He grabbed Luigi's arm and Starlow's foot and simply jumped into the large hole leading to the forest.

* * *

Friese and Iggy were running so fast they almost trampled Kamek. He suddenly appeared right in their path and they had skidded to a halt and crashed over each other.

"What on earth are you two running from?" asked Kamek.

"They almost killed us!" Iggy yelled, "That cloaked guy is strong!"

"I told you so," said Kamek, "Did they manage to defeat the entire force?"

"Yep," said Friese, "They're all three dangerous to Bowser's rule."

"Well I have some good news," said Kamek, "I have a few hints as to who the Electric Cloak is."

"The Electric Cloak?" asked Iggy.

"That's what I call him," said Kamek proudly, "Pretty good huh?" Iggy and Friese just stared at him and his smile faded.

"Anyways," said Kamek, "Looking through this book, I've found that only six of Bowser's enemies in existence have Phasmophobia as the Electric Cloak does. The first is Peter himself who we can rule out. The second is a traitor Boomerang Bro who has an unconfirmed location, making him a possibility. The third is dead, and the fourth is a block man by the name of Ghetti who infiltrated the castle a while back but escaped when we tried to capture him."

"I remember that guy," said Friese, "He was a pain."

"And he's also a suspect," said Kamek, "The fifth is a Luma by the name of Lumian who also has an unconfirmed location. And the sixth is Mario's brother, Luigi, himself. He went missing ten years ago."

"So we have four suspects," said Friese, "I'd say we can rule out the Luma and the block dude right away."

"Why is that?" asked Kamek.

"Have you seen the cloaked guy?" said Friese, "He's at least five and a half feet tall! And he certainly isn't shaped like a block."

"That's still not enough proof!" Kamek snapped, "We need to gather more info on the Electric Cloak."

"Try the fact that he uses electricity," said Iggy. Kamek summoned the book again and looked through the entries of the four suspects again.

"Three of four of them have been reported to have used some sort of electricity," Kamek reported, "We can rule out Ghetti."

"Anything else?" asked Friese.

"Nothing else comes to mind at the moment," said Kamek with thought, "We need to keep stalking the Electric Cloak and find out more about him. And at the same time prevent him from getting that Star Cure. Where is he right now anyways?"

"Probably in the Hidden Forest," said Iggy.

"Why did he go there?" asked Kamek, "We've already stolen the Star Cure. Who has it now?"

"Larry," said Iggy, "He's the one who stole it. He should be close to the pickup point soon." Something on Iggy's wand crackled.

"Oh, that's him now!" Iggy exclaimed as he tapped the tip of his wand, "Hello?"

"Yeah, I'm kinda going to be late getting to the pickup point," said Larry, "I need backup."

"What are you doing?" asked Iggy.

"These masked weirdos showed up and started attacking me and my troops," said Larry, "We're busy trying to fight them off."

"Great," said Iggy, "First cloaks and now masks?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Larry with a slight touch of anger in his voice, "Any word on that jerk?"

"He's heading towards the Hidden Forest right now," said Iggy, "We'll get him _and_ figure out who he is… eventually."

"Well get it done ASAP," said Larry in an angry tone, "I'm gonna mop my floor with his guts when I'm done with him. See ya." The connection broke and Iggy looked up at Friese and Kamek.

"Well, who's up for catching a cloaked dude?" asked Iggy.

* * *

**A/N: Well, Peter, Luigi, and Starlow are all off to the Hidden Forest to see Chlorus, but the Star Cure has already been stolen by, as revealed by Iggy, Larry Koopa himself. And he's under attack, but by whom? Will the Koopas ever wise up and figure out Luigi's identity? We'll see! I got Super Paper Mario today. It is a pretty good game, not quite as good as Bowser's Inside Story and its predecessors so far, but good nonetheless. Luigi seems to be slightly less cowardly in the game, but I'm only on 1-3 right now so I don't know all of the details. This chapter was originally going to feature the first appearence of Chlorus but I decided to save it for the next chapter.**

**As already mentioned, Peter uses the drawn Fire Flower in this chapter like the Smashers use it as an item in the Super Smash Bros Series. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	13. The Forest Princess

Chapter 13: The Forest Princess

When Luigi finally opened his eyes again, he found himself tied up in thick vines. He quickly looked around himself in panic and saw that he was most certainly in a forest but with trees so big he couldn't have imagined them. Looking in front of him, he saw Peter and a young girl no more than ten years old with long green hair wearing a white colored dress with green trim and leaf patterns along the bottom. She wore a tiara of leaves on her head. Starlow floated frightened nearby.

"Sorry Luigi," said Peter grimly, "I couldn't convince her that you were good."

"How would you know Peter?" asked the girl, "He won't even show you his face. How would you know that he is a good guy?"

"He acts like one," said Peter.

"Not good enough," said the girl, "Key word being acts."

"Who are you?" asked Luigi redundantly. In truth, he knew good and well what she would say.

"I am Chlorus, the dryad princess of the forests," she said powerfully. Okay, so half of what she would say. He didn't expect the dryad princess part.

"You're… a dryad?" asked Luigi.

"Yep," said Chlorus, "And what might you be? A fugitive trying to steal things?"

"A fugitive maybe, but I'm not trying to steal," said Luigi, "Is there anybody besides you around here?"

"Just these two," said Chlorus.

"Then let me take off my hood," said Luigi, "And tell you what I'm doing here."

"Just the hood," said Chlorus, "Nothing else."

"Fine," said Luigi. Chlorus looked straight into his eyes as though trying to tell if he would flee or not but reluctantly waved her hand over the vines restricting his left hand, the one with the bracelet on it. The vines removed themselves from Luigi's left hand at Chlorus's command. Chlorus took notice of the bracelet but didn't say anything and Luigi removed his hood for the first time in a while. Chlorus studied his face and seemed to recognize something about it but again, didn't say anything at all. Instead, she inquired about the bracelet.

"What is that?" she asked as she pointed to the bracelet. Luigi looked down at his left wrist and saw the bracelet and he suddenly remembered what its properties were.

"It allows me to communicate with those who also have the same type of bracelet," said Luigi. Starlow nodded quickly nearby.

"So are you a spy?" asked Chlorus with suspicion. Luigi realized his mistake quickly and tried to think of something else. Who else had a bracelet besides Starlow? Daniel! And where Daniel was, Canzor was bound to be too.

"I'll let Canzor explain things," said Luigi. Chlorus raised an eyebrow. Luigi closed his eyes and concentrated hard. He tried to communicate all of his thoughts to the bracelet.

"Daniel, are you there?" he asked the bracelet.

"Luigi?" asked Daniel's voice, "Is that you?"

"Yes, it is!" said Luigi, "I need you to put me through to your dad."

"Sure thing," said Daniel. There was a short pause but then another voice sounded.

"Hello?" It was Canzor's voice.

"Incredible…" said Chlorus in amazement.

"Is that Chlorus there with you?" asked Canzor.

"Yes, it's me," said Chlorus, "It's been a while Canzor."

"Excellent!" said Canzor, "So you must have reached the Hidden Forest already. Good work to you two!"

"You sent them?" asked Chlorus.

"Of course," said Canzor, "They are going to gather the Star Cures and crush Bowser's reign. You aren't strangling them with vines now are you?" Chlorus looked stunned.

"Uh…" she started.

"I thought so," said Canzor, "Please let them go. They are crucial to the rebellion against the Koopa King. I'll let them explain the rest. Right now, I've got to lead the pack against a force of Koopas heading at us. I'll talk to you all later!" Daniel's voice came back on.

"Yeah, we're on our way to take down a force of Koopas," he said, "I wish you could be here! You'd be a big help to us!"

"I wish I could be there too," said Luigi.

"Luckily, we've got another tribe helping us take them down!" Daniel exclaimed, "It'll be awesome! Well, I've got to go! Good luck with the whole Power Star healing thing!" The line went dead. Chlorus stood still for a few seconds before releasing Luigi from the vines.

"I apologize," she said, "Canzor knows me too well and I'm a bit protective of this forest."

"A bit is a little bit of an understatement," said Peter in a mocking tone.

"Be quiet Peter," said Chlorus playfully. Luigi smiled. These two acted like brother and sister. Suddenly, something Daniel had said caused him to remember something important.

"The Power Star!" Luigi cried. He pulled the cursed Power Star out of his cloak along with the Star Cure. He concentrated hard and quickly performed the ritual that would heal the Power Star. Within seconds, it was back to its normal glowing yellow state.

"You have the mark?" asked Chlorus.

"Yep," said Luigi, showing off the back of his right palm.

"Canzor must trust you in full," said Chlorus, "So I will as well. Unfortunately, as I'm sure Peter has told you already, I do not have the Star Cure I usually guard. It was… stolen by one of those Koopas."

"What did they look like?" asked Luigi.

"Not like the others," said Chlorus, "My memories are foggy because they put me under a sedative."

"I remember," said Peter, "He was indeed not like the others. He had a spiked shell and tall light blue hair…"

"Larry," Luigi said before Peter could finish, "The Koopaling that I threw off of his own boat!"

"You threw a Koopaling off of his own boat?" Chlorus asked in disbelief.

"If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't be here right now," said Luigi. He told them his whole story from going to Sarasaland, to getting to the forest. Chlorus nodded every once in a while Peter just stared as he had heard most of the details before. After Luigi was finished, there was a short silence.

"So, you'll head out to retrieve the Star Cure since you want it so badly?" asked Chlorus.

"Will do," said Luigi.

"I'll go with you," said Peter, "You'll need help to get through the labyrinth."

"If you'll leave me one of the Power Stars, I'll stay here with Chlorus and take care of anybody in the Koopa Troop that tries to get into the forest," said Starlow.

"Alright," said Luigi. He pushed the newly charged star over to her and then turned to Peter.

"Shall we go?" he asked, pulling his hood back on his head.

"Follow me," said Peter with a nod. Luigi followed Peter away from the others and into another clearing nearby. In the middle of the clearing was a large stone slab that Peter had Luigi stand on. He then climbed on himself and began waving his hands in intricate patterns. Luigi watched him in confusion until suddenly, a light shot down at them. When it cleared, they had disappeared from the slab.

* * *

Iggy, Kamek, and Friese arrived where Larry and his troops were hiding out at just the right moment. They were about to move out against whatever force they were up against.

"It's about time you guys showed up!" Larry said in haste, "We're about to take on those masked fools."

"And all of those Griffins that we spotted on the way here?" asked Kamek.

"They have Griffins on their side?" Larry asked in disbelief.

"Yep," said Iggy, "So we'd better watch our backs."

"A support force is on its way right now," said Kamek, "Bowser's not too happy about anything right now."

"Why is that?" asked Larry. Kamek explained the incident with Peter and the Electric Cloak along with the fact that they and the Star Sprite had wiped out their whole force.

"When are you going to get to catching that fool?" asked Larry in annoyance.

"We talked to Bowser about that after we left the labyrinth," said Friese, "He's sending your little brother after him."

"Lemmy? What is he going to be able to do? All he ever does all day is ride around on that circus ball of his," said Larry.

"I don't know," said Kamek, "I really don't know." Suddenly, a roar ripped through the air. The whole force looked up and saw a force of about twenty masked people and about twenty Griffins above them. The Griffins bared their claws and the masked ones drew spears and swords.

"Let's fight now and talk later," said Larry, "Attack!" Both forces charged at each other and locked themselves in fierce combat. And from a distance a lone figure watched the fighting.

"There they are…" it said looking towards the Koopa Troop side of the battle, "Those are the ones my father once called… his enemies." And on that note, he dashed into the shadows of the hills behind him and vanished.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has earned Chlorus's trust and is now going after Larry Koopa, while Lemmy Koopa goes after him! And of course, if Luigi's going after Larry, and Lemmy's going after Luigi, they'll all end up at one place; the battlefield for the battle begun in this chapter! But who is this mysterious figure who simply watched the beginning battle between the Koopa Troop and the rebels? And what will the outcome of that battle be?**

**There is one reference in this chapter and it is the way that Chlorus is dressed. She is meant to look kind of like Palutena from the Kid Icarus series with a lot less jewelry.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	14. Outnumbered and Unveiled

Chapter 14: Outnumbered and Unveiled

Luigi and Peter burst out of the labyrinth at top speed. Peter had warped them to the room of the labyrinth's brain and before they could decide what to do next, they had heard a large explosion from somewhere outside the labyrinth. Now that they were outside, they could see smoke to the north.

"What do you think is going on there?" asked Luigi. Peter lifted his head up.

"Perhaps that battle the Griffins went charging into," said Peter, "And the Star Cure just so happens to be in that general direction!"

"How do you know?" asked Luigi.

"Another security measure added when the Star Cures went under new possession," said Peter, "It's a homing signal that allows those with the marks to find that respective Star Cure wherever it is. Every time they move onto different owners it seems they get more advanced." Luigi nodded.

"Let's head towards the explosions then," said Luigi, "Larry is probably fighting if that's the battle Daniel and Canzor mentioned."

"Right," said Peter. They were about to advance but something else rumbled behind them. They slowly turned around to see face to face to an enormous yellow circus ball flanked by Bowser's forces on either side. Atop the ball was a small Koopa with a colorful Mohawk and crazy eyes who held a wand in his left hand.

"Lemmy!" Luigi shouted.

"Yeah that's right you cloak dude!" Lemmy yelled, "I've been assigned to take you down for rebellion against my dad!"

"How many Koopalings is he going to send after us?" Luigi asked Peter. Peter just shrugged and readied his pen. Luigi drew his dagger, thinking about popping the ball and sending Lemmy to the ground.

"Ha! That little knife isn't going to get into this ball!" Lemmy taunted, "It's made of solid iron! Go ahead and try to hurt it!" Luigi charged forwards and stabbed the dagger into the ball, but sure enough, the ball wasn't harmed at all and Luigi was bounced back, a bent out of shape dagger in his hand. He quickly threw the old weapon aside and readied his electrical powers. Peter had been drawing something while Luigi had been trying to pop the ball but none of them were able to see just what it was yet.

"Attack now my troops!" Lemmy yelled. His whole force, about a hundred units, charged forwards at the two of them. Luigi let loose a blast of electricity but instead of going at the force as Luigi had intended, it went straight up and into Lemmy's wand!

"A wand with a lightning rod," said Lemmy, "Very useful against people using electricity! Like you for example!" The army continued to get closer and Luigi drew his hammer instead. He began smashing Koopas and Goombas out of the way. Peter finally finished drawing and waved his hand. Another rumbling sound came from behind Lemmy and he turned. He nearly screamed. About five circus balls identical to his in size, color, and pattern to his own were rolling towards him; they just looked cartoony. He quickly began to roll his own ball towards where the explosions were occurring but more specifically, straight at his little army and Luigi and Peter.

"Run!" Peter yelled. Lemmy flattened about half of what was his army and the other half was flattened by the other five circus balls. The balls rolled after Lemmy, Peter, and Luigi, as Luigi and Peter were being chased by Lemmy, and the balls were chasing Lemmy. Peter seemed to be trying to drive the drawn circus balls to the north.

"You can control what you draw?" Luigi yelled as they ran.

"Why wouldn't I be able to?" asked Peter as he tried to steer the balls using only his pen. They were indeed heading north, just as Peter had intended. Lemmy saw what Peter was trying to do.

"Can't get involved in that fight!" he said to himself, "Larry and Iggy will kill me!" He turned around and began running backwards on the top of the circus ball with expert footing. He waved his wand at the five drawn circus balls and five blasts of yellow magic flew at them, vaporizing them on contact.

"Hey, no fair!" Peter yelled.

"How is that not fair?" Lemmy yelled back as he turned around, "You can summon things at will!" He flung a few more magical fireballs in front of them and they exploded. Luigi and Peter were knocked back towards Lemmy's side of the chase. Lemmy grinned crazily and ran faster on the top of his circus ball so as to crush the two heroes. But as soon as he reached them, he hit something and he and the circus ball went flying. Luigi and Peter opened their eyes and looked around them. Something had shielded them with a cubicle force field.

"Go," a female voice said from nowhere, "Go to the battle you see in the distance. Your friends are in grave danger." Luigi thought he saw a shadowy figure in the trees nearby but it vanished.

"Let's hurry!" said Peter, "You heard that voice. We need to get to that battlefield! And I'm sensing much stronger Star Cure readings the closer we get!"

"I think I know who we'll find," said Luigi, "And I don't think it's exactly good that they're in grave danger." Peter stared at him for a few seconds before figuring out what Luigi was thinking.

"Let's go!" Peter said, more hastily than before. Luigi nodded and the two of them dashed to the north.

* * *

The Griffins and masked ones were fighting a losing battle against the Koopa Troop. They were heavily outnumbered, at least twenty Koopas to one warrior or Griffin. Canzor and the chief of the masked ones tribe, Facles, had figured that they would be able to take down the weaker Koopa Troop with less warriors, but even the male Griffins, the strongest warriors out there were being given a hard time. Those who weren't fighting were residing in a camp nearby. All Canzor could think was…

"If only Luigi were here…" He knew it was almost impossible. Luigi was probably off looking for the next Star Cure. He didn't realize just how wrong he was. Out of nowhere, the whole battle stopped and went dead silent for a noise could be heard from the sky. It was screaming. Something crashed right in the middle of the battlefield. It was a Koopaling.

"Lemmy?" Larry asked in disbelief.

"Hey… bro…" Lemmy said in pain. The circus ball flew from the sky and bounced on the ground, knocking Lemmy back into reality. He jumped out of the ground and rolled out of the way as the ball bounced on the spot where he had crashed. He backflipped back up onto its top and rolled over to the side of his brothers and Kamek.

"So, how's it going?" asked Lemmy. Larry glared at him.

"You're supposed to be going after the cloaked guy!" Larry snapped.

"You mean the Electric Cloak," Kamek corrected.

"Be quiet Kamek!" Larry snapped again. The warriors on both sides of the battle watched the Koopaling twins argue, though they didn't necessarily know what they were talking about, until suddenly, a burst of lightning just erupted from the sky, disintegrating a whole section of the Koopa Troop. Luigi and Peter landed feet first in the middle of the large battlefield, one armed with a hammer, and the other with a pen. Everyone looked surprised to see the two of them jump into the middle of the still battle ready to fight.

"What are you doing here?" asked Canzor with wide eyes.

"We're taking back Chlorus's Star Cure from these idiots!" Luigi yelled pointing at the three Koopalings.

"I thought you were getting rid of them," said Larry impatiently.

"Yeah, the littler one kind of copied my act and flattened my force," said Lemmy.

"Isn't that the one kid that escaped a while back?" asked Larry.

"No duh," said Kamek, "That's the one kid that… wait, why were we holding him captive?"

"Because Dad holds people captive," said Iggy, "Now can we please blow these people up or something like that?"

"Let's see you try," said Luigi fiercely, "Bring it on!" The masked ones and the Griffins rallied to the cry and charged.

"I'll kill you right here you little jerk!" Larry yelled, "Charge Koopa Troop!" Even losing a section of the force, the Koopa Troop still outnumbered the rebels by a lot. Many warriors went down almost immediately due to being outnumbered. Luigi stayed strong firing small jolts of electricity to keep the troop busy so the others could take them down. Peter summoned a swarm of five cartoony hammers that were swatting at the Koopa Troop while he controlled them from afar. The Griffins let the masked ones on their backs and they flew overhead throwing spears down at the Koopa Troop. Larry set his mark on Luigi and he and Friese ran forwards to tag team him. Luigi figured he was ready for it but Friese jumped over him and Larry socked him in the face. The hood stayed on. Larry readied a shot from his wand but Luigi sidestepped and drop kicked him. Larry was down but out of nowhere, a snowball hit him and his abdomen and lower body was frozen to the ground. Larry got up.

"Now let's see who you really are," Larry said with an evil smile. He walked over to Luigi and was about to remove his hood but a hammer came from nowhere and smacked him away, almost right into his brother's circus ball. Then, a nail appeared from thin air and the hammer quickly thawed Luigi out. Peter gave a thumbs up from a distance and Luigi returned the gesture. He set his sights on Friese. That was a mistake on his part. Luigi charged forward with his hands charged with electricity but Friese sidestepped and Luigi ran straight into Iggy.

"Hello Mr. Electric!" Iggy said with an evil tone. He socked Luigi in the face and he fell to the ground. Larry, Friese, Kamek and Iggy suddenly all loomed over him. They had a look of shock on their faces.

"No way…" said Larry, "That is not…"

"It can't be…" said Iggy in disbelief, "He disappeared years ago."

"You?" said Kamek in amazement, "You're the Electric Cloak?" Luigi realized what they were seeing. In the light of the sunset, his face was visible in the hood's dark protection. He frowned solemnly. His cover was blown.

* * *

**A/N: Uh-oh. Luigi's identity is finally uncovered by the Koopas. Finally! Those Koopas really are stupid aren't they? But now that it's been revealed, what will the Koopas do with him? Or his loved ones? Ever heard the rule that heroes aren't really supposed to have families because the bad guys can get at you easily? I was originaly going to save the revelation of his identity to the villains for later but I decided to put it in now because of where and who the third Star Cure guardian is. Who is the third guardian, and what will the Koopas do now that they know Luigi's identity? And who is this mysterious figure who keeps appearing at battles?**

**Lemmy's appearance in this chapter is modeled after his New Super Mario Bros. Wii appearance in the World 3 Castle, with the giant circus ball and all.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	15. Tanya, the Prophecy Girl

Chapter 15: Tanya, the Prophecy Girl

All sound was blocked out as the two Koopalings, Kamek, and Friese looked down amazed at Luigi's face. Though around them was the sound of clanking swords and claws against shells and Koopas getting thown all over the place from whacking hammers, this small area was silent.

Then Luigi had a sudden burst of rage. Without even charging his powers, he zapped the four enemies looking at his face and then zapped the nearest group of Koopas, turning them to ashes. He ran all over the battlefield, screaming in rage and zapping whatever he could; that is, until he got close enough to Lemmy. The wand in Lemmy's hand absorbed the electricity when Luigi got closer.

"That's not going to do you any good!" Lemmy said tauntingly, "As a matter of fact…"

"SHUT UP!" Luigi screamed. He pulled out his hammer, jumped in the air, and hit Lemmy on the head with it. Then when he hit the ground, he continued his attack by hitting the circus ball Lemmy was on top of, causing it to fly from underneath him and run over many of the Koopa forces. Luigi finished it with a strong hammer swing to the ground. The ground ripped open and lightning and thunder poured out. The whole area seemed silent against the thunder's roars and the lightning struck everything, even ignoring Lemmy's lightning rod.

"GET… LOST!" Luigi screamed. He unleashed what seemed like an impossible amount of energy. There was an explosion of light and everyone was blinded. When the light cleared, there were no Koopa forces left. Luigi stood in the center of the battlefield, breathing hard, before falling to his knees and beginning to cry.

"Luigi!" Peter cried. He ran over, reaching Luigi at the same time as Canzor.

"Luigi, are you alright?" Canzor asked.

"They… they know who I am…" Luigi sobbed.

"Luigi, it doesn't matter if they knew who you are or not," said Peter.

"It does!" Luigi snapped, "If they find my family…" That was it. He jumped to his feet and ran off into the tall grasses surrounding the battlefield. Peter and Canzor simply watched as he vanished into the grass.

"I hope he's alright," said Peter.

"He'll be fine," said Canzor, "But the Koopas still have that second Star Cure do they not?"

"Nope," said Peter. He pulled the Star Cure out of his pocket and returned it to its normal size, yet another new feature.

"I stole it off of the blue haired one while we were fighting," said Peter.

"Let's get back to our base camp," said Canzor.

"But what about Luigi?" asked Peter.

"He'll be fine," said Canzor, "When he sorts things out, he'll come back." The force of masked ones and Griffins moved towards the southeast where their base camp was set up. Peter lingered behind, looking into the tall grasses.

"It'll be alright Luigi," he said softly. Then he followed his allies towards the encampment.

* * *

Luigi tore through the bushes and trees, his eyes stung with tears. So many things were going through his mind right now; what would happen to his family, how he was going to avoid Bowser, and other things like that. He eventually stumbled and fell onto the ground and found himself unable to get up. He cried harder. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a hand reached down in front of his face. He looked up and saw a young girl about Chlorus's age through his tears. She had light brown hair tied back into pigtails and wore a blue dress with a pink ribbon tied around her waist. But what was both strange and creepy about her was her eyes. They were two different colors, one blue and the other solid black.

"Get up Mage of Thunder," she said to him. Luigi was confused as to where the girl had come from and what she had just called him but he gave her his hand and she pulled him up. He found her surprisingly strong for a young girl.

"Why do you cry like so Mage of Thunder?" asked the girl. Luigi suddenly recognized her voice. She had the same voice as the person who had shielded them earlier. It had to be the same person.

"Why are you calling me that?" asked Luigi, "And what are you doing here?"

"If you don't want me to call you by your title, or should I say, to be title, then give me something else to call you by," said the girl, "I am here because I have read the book of prophecy and it told me that you were the Mage of Thunder."

"Well my name is Luigi and I don't know what you mean by Mage of Thunder," said Luigi.

"The Mage of Thunder is one who possesses electrical powers and has the heart of a pure hero," said the girl, "He is the one who will usurp the evil king from his throne. That is directly quoted by the book of prophecy."

"You think I'm the one who is called the Mage of Thunder?" asked Luigi.

"You must be," said the girl, "You are the only person I've ever met who has such characteristics. It also says in the prophecy book that you have a family." Luigi sulked and almost started crying again.

"Your enemies have just discovered you have they not?" the girl asked.

"Yes, I am worried for my family's safety now," said Luigi grimly, trying hard not to cry.

"Your family will be fine just as long as you don't accidentally reveal that you have one to your enemies," said the girl. Luigi just about smacked himself in the face. He had forgotten entirely that the Koopas had no idea where the heck he had gone in the last ten years so he had no reason to be worried about his family, for the Koopas didn't even know he had one. For all he knew, the only family they knew he had was his brother who they had captured.

"You should probably go back to your friends," said the girl, "They have something you will need to purify this land."

"Purify…" said Luigi. He instinctively pulled the Star Cure he had out of his cloak.

"Yes, they have the second one," said the girl, "And these are the things that will truly free the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland from Bowser's rule. His forces will diminish at the power of the Miracle Cure and the one who wields it with the three marks. But the battle will not be over after removing the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland from his rule. The great evil shall still reign over the universe and it will be up to the mage to stop him. All of that is also quoted."

"You must have the whole book memorized," said Luigi.

"My father was good with prophecies," said the girl, "I am even better."

"Who are you anyways?" asked Luigi. The girl stared at him coldly with her different colored eyes.

"I will only reveal my name," she said mysteriously, "I am Tanya. You are the soon to be Mage of Thunder, also known as Luigi. And Bowser is our enemy. Good luck and good bye." And with a quick twirl she disappeared into thin air, leaving Luigi to figure out if what he had heard and seen was true or not. Luigi blinked once and then twice and headed back towards where the battle had been waged in hopes of apologizing for running off. Tanya watched Luigi go from the area they had spoken from a treetop afar.

"Hurry, to be Mage of Thunder," she said in a worried tone, "Hurry and finish your business here on Earth so that you may enter the next phase of your fate."

* * *

**A/N: The title, the Mage of Thunder, has been first used in this chapter by a strange young girl named Tanya who knows many prophecies. And Luigi still has time because the Koopas don't know everything about him yet including that he has a family. Who exactly is Tanya? Will the Koopas ever figure out everything about what Luigi was doing while he was gone? What does Tanya mean when she says that Luigi is not quite the Mage of Thunder yet? And again, who is the third Star Cure guardian? **

**I will be surprised if anybody figures out Tanya's past, as it will not be revealed in this story. There will be many hints at it, but it will not be revealed. PM me or review if you think you know who she is somewhere along the way. If you are right, I will respond. I'd like to see how many people can figure it out.**

**When Luigi hits the ground with his hammer, it is supposed to reference Thor. I've never seen the movie though so I don't know if I got all of the details right (Or if Thor does that in the movie or not). I just know that Thor has lightning powers or something like that and a hammer that he uses.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	16. The Third Guardian is who?

Chapter 16: "The Third Guardian is who?"

Peter was the first to notice Luigi walking into the campsite.

"It's Luigi!" Peter cried. He ran over and hugged his friend.

"Where did you run off to?" Peter asked.

"I just needed time to think," said Luigi, "I'm fine now."

"Well you've obviously sorted things out, so why don't you join us?" asked Canzor as he walked over, "You're the one who finished the battle and drove those Koopas away." Luigi remembered that he had hit the ground with his hammer and thunder and lightning had poured out. It made him realize something.

"What about the Star Cure?" asked Luigi in panic. Larry had it and if the Koopas had been driven away…

"I stole it off of the blue haired one," said Peter interrupting Luigi's thoughts, "Don't worry about a thing. This battle was a complete victory." Luigi smiled and pulled off his hood. He wouldn't need it anymore anyways. Daniel ran up to Luigi with hyperactive excitement.

"Oh my gosh! That was totally awesome when you hit the ground and all of that electrical stuff blew up the area and…" Daniel kept ranting about how awesome he thought Luigi's powers were and stuff like that when Luigi saw someone approaching the clearing. Two people. He watched as Starlow and Chlorus walked into the camp, beaten up and battered.

"Starlow!" Luigi cried.

"Chlorus!" cried Peter. Everyone looked amazed at the Star Sprite and dryad walking into the clearing. Chlorus fell over almost immediately but Peter got there just in time to catch her. Luigi took Starlow in his arms.

"What happened?" asked Luigi in a worried tone.

"Someone… came to the forest…" said Starlow weakly, "Koopas… tried to stop them… seized the Power Star and beat us… said that… Bowser putting eastern Kingdom… lockdown…" Luigi looked up, or rather down, at Peter.

"This is not good," said Luigi. Chlorus's eyes opened up a little.

"Peter… you and Luigi must go to the eastern kingdom," she said, "There is a place there where the three Star Cures united as the Miracle Cure can spread their power across the entire kingdom…"

"But we only have two Star Cures!" said Peter. Canzor walked over.

"Which is why we reveal the location of the third guardian to you," said Canzor, "Someone I believe you already know." Chlorus nodded weakly.

"From what you've told us about your past ten years Luigi, we were able to deduce that you already know the third guardian," said Chlorus as she opened her eyes a little more, "His name is Herman and he lives within the southwestern forest of Sarasaland and is also a hermit." Luigi eyes opened wide.

"The third Star Cure guardian is who?" Luigi asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. Was the hermit really hiding a Star Cure all of this time without him noticing? Chlorus fainted before he could get an answer.

"We need a medic over here!" Canzor yelled.

"Bring her to the medicine tent!" Facles, the masked ones leader called, "Our nurse is there! She'll fix her up!" Luigi and Peter quickly brought both girls over to the tent. Two of the masked ones helped the girls inside.

"They'll be fine," said Facles, "If it was just Koopas then they're injuries probably aren't that bad." The doctor, who wore a creepy mask that looked like it belonged to a witch doctor, came out of the tent. Luigi was amazed at how fast she had done her work.

"They are both fine as Master Facles has said," said the doctor, "But the yellow one has suffered a near concussion. Something of great force must have hit her." Luigi understood what the doctor meant quickly. Bowser must have sent a fourth Koopaling at them and that Koopaling must have been either Roy or Morton, likely the latter.

"Alright," said Luigi.

"And the dryad has woken up," said the doctor, "She gives a message to the blonde one to give the cloaked one the symbol of the second Star Cure." Peter nodded. He turned to Luigi and flipped his pen in his hand. Luigi lifted his right hand for Peter and he began drawing the intricate intertwining circles design. When it was finished, it glowed and burned a little just like the first one and then stopped. It was now on Luigi's glove.

"Thanks Peter," said Luigi.

"Thank me later," said Peter grimly. Luigi put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," said Luigi, "Whether if you had stayed in the forest to protect Chlorus or not, somebody was going to get hurt. That's just the way Bowser is." Peter almost smiled a little but instead just looked at the ground. Luigi felt bad for him. He got a sudden idea. He reached into his cloak and pulled out one of his five remaining friendship bracelets/communicators and handed it to him.

"Take this," said Luigi, "It allows those who have the same bracelet to communicate with you from wherever they are." Peter looked at the bracelet for a few seconds before taking it from Luigi's hand and slipping it onto his left wrist.

"Thank you," said Peter, "Now if you will please excuse me." He walked into the tent where Chlorus and Starlow were resting.

"He feels bad for not staying behind eh?" said Facles from behind Luigi, "Yeah, it's called survival remorse. I've felt it before. My friend wrestled himself and a Sledge Bro off of a cliff to save me. You feel bad for someone's death or injuries and blame it on yourself. The kid has it hard." Luigi stayed silent and looked up at Facles. He was amazed at the masked ones height. Each one was about seven feet tall, nearly two feet taller than him.

"Why do you wear masks?" asked Luigi. Facles was silent for a few seconds now.

"This is why," he said. He reached for his face and lifted his mask up for Luigi to see. There was nothing there. Luigi almost jumped.

"You're… headless!" Luigi nearly said loudly. Facles pulled his mask back down.

"Not headless," said Facles, "Faceless. Our kind does not have faces. Why I have no idea. It dates back to the earliest times of our clan, all the way back to… ah, never mind. Well anyways, why did you run off earlier?" Luigi explained that he had thought things over with himself which was a half lie because Tanya had helped him. As he was finishing up, he began to wonder where that girl went.

"Sounds like you had a lot to think about," said Facles, "Well, I suppose I'd better get back to my tent. I'll see you in the morning." And with that, he walked off. Luigi watched him go and looked inside the tent again. Chlorus appeared to be alright and was sitting up and talking to Peter but Starlow was still unconscious. She must have had a hard fight. As Luigi was worrying about Starlow's safety, his mind went back to what Chlorus had said about the third Star Cure guardian being the hermit that had taken Luigi in when he went to Sarasaland. He remembered the orb he had discovered in his cloak when he arrived in the Mushroom Kindom. But before he could pull it out and call up Herman, a voice interrupted him.

"The third Star Cure guardian is indeed one you know," said the voice. Luigi turned startled and saw Tanya looking at him from the bushes nearby.

"You must cross the eastern kingdom so that you may return to Sarasaland to retrieve the Star Cure from Herman who is the third guardian. Then, you must unite them as the Miracle Cure at the Star Hill shrine. There is where the portal to the next step of your destiny will open." Luigi just stared. He understood every word but this girl made it all sound so mysterious.

"Who are you?" asked Luigi, "I mean, really?" Tanya fixed her cold glare on him. Luigi shuddered.

"True love is a harsh thing sometimes," said Tanya, "Many things may go wrong and very rarely will they ever go right again." Luigi became even more confused.

"In other words, when true love is lost, it is very, _very_, rarely found again," said Tanya, "And because of that…" She frowned and glared even harder.

"Because of that, insanity ensues," she said. With that, she did her classic twirl and disappeared, leaving a very confused Luigi to try to understand what she had just said. After a while, Luigi dropped the riddling words spoken by the young girl from his mind and pulled the orb out of his cloak. He focused his mind before speaking for he had a theory as to how the orb worked.

"Hello, Mr. Hermit, are you there?"

* * *

**A/N: Tanya has revealed, in very confusing and clandestine words, a little bit of a hint about where she came from. And we now know after a long time who the third Star Cure guardian is; the hermit, A.K.A. Herman! What a surprise! Now Luigi must return to Sarasaland to retrieve the third Star Cure from Herman but to do so, he must cross the now very dangerous eastern Mushroom Kingdom. Will he be able to reach Sarasaland? And what exactly is that orb's secret? **

**The masked ones somewhat reference the Skull Kids from Legend of Zelda, minus their enormous height of course, because they have no faces. Facles name is basically the word faceless missing the fourth and eighth letters.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	17. Go East Great Hero!

Chapter 17: Go East Great Hero!

Within the next two days, the camp was bustling with activity. A two day celebration had been held in order to celebrate their victory against the Koopas. Though Luigi wanted to get moving to Sarasaland right away, Peter had convinced him to stay for the celebration because he had won the fight. He was honestly not that much in the mood for arguing. He had spoken to the hermit on the night he had found that the hermit was the third Star Cure guardian and confirmed that the fact was indeed true. He was frustrated that he hadn't known before, but at the same time glad because he would get to see his family. Luigi pondered these things as he looked towards the east from a high branch on a tree. His theory about the orb had been correct according to the hermit, Herman; within it was one of the special friendship bracelets.

"Luigi! Are you ready to go yet?" Peter called up to him from below.

"Yeah!" Luigi called back. He quickly jumped down the branches of the tree and landed on his feet on the ground.

"What about Starlow?" asked Luigi.

"She's going to stay and help with the project they're starting," said Peter, "To find all of the powerless Power Stars so you can recharge them with the Star Cures."

"And maybe to reform the Miracle Cure and purify the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland from Bowser's reign," said Luigi. Peter stared at him. Luigi quickly remembered that only he and Tanya knew that fact.

"It's just a theory," said Luigi. Peter continued to stare at him blankly.

"Alright," said Peter finally, "Let's head back to camp and say our good-byes."

"Right," said Luigi. He was about to walk away but Peter spoke up behind him.

"I think I should tell you something Luigi," said Peter shakily. Luigi turned.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I… I… oh never mind," said Peter.

"You don't have to be afraid to tell me," said Luigi, "But if you don't want to that's fine too."

"It's fine," said Peter, "Let's go." He walked ahead of Luigi and Luigi blinked a few times before following.

* * *

Kamek watched the two of them go from the air. He furrowed his brow. He couldn't believe he wasn't able to guess who the cloaked one was until he saw his face. He had sent the three Koopalings back to report to Bowser while he would continue to follow Luigi around to observe his actions and make sure that he wasn't trying to cause trouble in Bowser's kingdom. He was the one who had put the whole eastern kingdom on lockdown because of his knowledge that the third Star Cure guardian was in Sarasaland to the east and that Luigi was collecting the Star Cures to free the kingdom from Bowser's reign.

"Yes, thanks to them, I know quite a lot about what will happen," Kamek said with an evil grin, "And some of it must not occur." He then flew off to the east to prepare something that the two heroes would never forget.

* * *

Iggy led the way into Bowser's throne room followed by his little brothers, Lemmy and Larry. Bowser didn't exactly look happy to see them.

"So you failed to retrieve the Star Cure?" asked Bowser.

"Yes, but…" Iggy started.

"And the cloaked figure is that no good plumber!" Bowser yelled, "He must be eliminated! Put the eastern kingdom on lockdown so he can't reach the location that will allow him to purify the lands!"

"Kamek's already done that dad," said Iggy, "Just calm down and we'll take care of things." Bowser relaxed in his throne.

"Well at least someone is thinking," said Bowser, a little more relaxed now, "What about the kid?"

"Kamek thinks that he's going with Luigi to get the third Star Cure," Larry spoke up, "He could cause trouble because of that pen that Kamesha gave him…"

"Don't ever say that name to my face!" Bowser yelled, "She was a traitor! Her name shall not be spoken in my presence!" Larry shut up. Bowser seemed to calm down again.

"They will be trying to head east," said Bowser, "We'll send Wendy after them. Tell her to take one of the airships. They'll have a struggle against one of those!" He laughed heartily.

"But dad, didn't Luigi like… destroy a whole tank about two weeks ago?" asked Lemmy.

"I don't care!" Bowser yelled, "And besides, that tank was run by total idiots anyways! Wendy is a lot smarter than that!"

"If you want smarts, why not send Ludwig?" asked Iggy.

"Stop asking questions and get Wendy out there!" Bowser yelled, "Get out! All of you!" The three Koopalings left in haste along with every single minion in the room except for one Boomerang Bro.

"Sir, shall I go as well?" the Boomerang Bro who had stayed asked.

"No, stay here Turner," said Bowser, "I need you in case they try to break out." Turner nodded. He was Bowser's best jailer and knew how to handle those who tried to break free. Clearly, Bowser intended on making fun of one or two of his prisoners.

"Well Mario, it appears your brother is coming after you," said Bowser, "Now isn't that nice?" Mario glared at his nemesis with pure hatred.

"I'm sure he'll enjoy the surprise he's going to get when he's blasted to smithereens by one of the new features on the airships," said Bowser, "He and the kid won't stand a chance." Mario smashed his fist against the bars for another five times. His hand hurt from how many times he'd tried to break the bars but failed.

"I'm thinking about first using the kid against him and then maybe I'll turn to one of you," Bowser said glaring at them. Mario knew it was no use to struggle and fell backwards on his bottom.

"Just giving up, eh?" said Bowser. Mario's glare deepened. He wanted very much to break the bars off and destroy his nemesis right there, but he couldn't for fear of what Bowser would do to the others. Once Toadbert had tried to escape but had been beaten and thrown back into his cell. And as further punishment, the whole kidnapped committee, which was composed of some of the most important figures in the kingdom, had to witness Toadsworth's death right in front of them. Toadsworth was gone, just like that. Bowser had done too much. Mario still wanted to struggle but he couldn't.

But good news had at least reached his and Peach's ears, who Bowser had separated onto different sides of the room recently for safety precautions. Their son was most certainly alive and safe out in the world. They hadn't heard anything about it until Kamek called Bowser up just days before. They had both almost cried. And Mario also knew who his son was safe with; his own brother. Peter would be safe with his uncle and Mario knew it.

* * *

The Koopalings' chamber was quite silent at the time. Ludwig and Roy were playing a game of chess in the corner which Roy continued to lose at and kept playing even after begging multiple times for an arm wrestling competition instead. Junior wasn't around as he had special privileges granted him by their father. Larry and Iggy had been sent to check on the fools at the Sea Slide Galaxy who continued to disobey Bowser's commands. Wendy was checking her nails on her bed. Morton was commanding a stronghold in the eastern Mushroom Kingdom in accordance to the lockdown. Lemmy poked his head into the room.

"Wendy, dad needs you to go on a mission," said Lemmy, "Go get an airship and set a course for the Mushroom Kingdom, quickly." Wendy got up from the bed.

"It's about time," said Wendy, "You boys get to have all the fun."

"I'm not having any fun," Roy groaned as Ludwig captured his queen.

"You've got to think three moves ahead," said Ludwig slyly. Wendy rolled her eyes and grabbed her wand from the rack on the wall.

"When do I leave?" asked Wendy.

"Now," said Lemmy.

* * *

Luigi and Peter were sent off by the group almost as soon as they arrived back at the camp. The Griffins flew overhead shouting down good lucks and stuff at them. Each of the masked ones wanted a handshake with both hands with Luigi, which took a while because there were at least forty of them counting all of the women and children. Canzor, Facles, and Daniel all came up to them last, along with Chlorus and Starlow.

"We all wish you guys luck," said Canzor.

"Try not to get blown off of the face of the earth," said Facles. He probably smiled but his mask and invisible face concealed it.

"Yeah!" said Daniel, "And get the last Star Cure so you can purify the Power Stars!" Chlorus walked up and hugged Peter tightly.

"Be safe Peter," she said. Peter nodded confidently.

"I'll be fine," said Peter.

"Be sure to gather as many Power Stars as you can find!" Starlow exclaimed, apparently at full health and already into the Power Star finding project. Luigi nodded.

"We'll do our best," said Luigi.

"You'll do better than your best," said a voice from above. Luigi looked up and saw Tanya floating in the air. She winked and disappeared.

"Luigi, what are you looking at?" asked Starlow. Luigi quickly looked back at eye level with the others.

"Uh… nothing," said Luigi. He shook hands with Facles and paw to hand with Canzor and Daniel, who continued to rant on about finding the Star Cures and healing the Power Stars. And at that moment, Luigi and Peter began their journey east into the land that Bowser now had complete control over.

* * *

**A/N: A lot has been revealed in this chapter. First of all, I finally decided to reveal that Peter **_**is**_** Mario and Peach's son! But Luigi doesn't know that yet. Also, Toadsworth is revealed as dead in this chapter. Poor Toadsworth! Sad Face :(! Kamek has been feeding off of information from somebody, but who?All of the Koopalings have now been revealed to be on active duty except for Lemmy, Ludwig, and Roy. The third of Bowser's veteran minions, as I collectively call them, has been revealed as well in this chapter. These minions serve Bowser directly under the Koopalings. Kamek is one, Friese is the next, and now there is Turner, the Boomerang Bro. Notice a pattern yet? Will Luigi ever find out that Peter is his nephew? Who is Kamek getting info from? And will they make it across the eastern kingdom? As of this chapter (Or rather the last chapter) this is the longest story I have ever typed chapterwise. Yay!**

**No references here, unless I typed something that seems like a reference without noticing.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	18. The Mountain Complex

Chapter 18: The Mountain Complex

When Luigi and Peter reached the Bumpsy Plains, they knew something wasn't right. There were large gray rocks all around them, seeming to have grown out of the ground.

"Why are there enormous rocks everywhere?" asked Peter.

"I don't know," said Luigi, "Did something happen in the ten years I was gone?" They continued walking through the large rocks when they saw something beyond odd.

"Is that… a mountain?" asked Luigi as they arrived at the foot of an enormous mountain in a conical shape, smack in the middle of the plains. Peter only blinked.

"This is just getting weird," said Peter in confusion.

"I… guess we go around," said Luigi. They began walking around the mountain's base when they came across a cave in its side.

"Uh…" said Peter.

"Let's just keep moving," said Luigi. But before they could take another step, a Boo appeared out of nowhere behind them and screeched. They both flipped.

"AUUUGGGHHH!" they both screamed. They ran into the small cavern entrance they had come across and the Boo simply watched them in satisfaction. Then he pulled out a radio.

"This is number 824 calling in," said the Boo, "The enemy is now inside the fortress. Repeat, the enemy is now within the fortress."

* * *

Once Luigi and Peter were sure they had run long enough so that the Boo couldn't reach them, they stopped to catch their breath.

"That… was… too close!" Peter gasped.

"Way too close," said Luigi as he stood up straight, "Stupid Boos!" Peter nodded in agreement and looked around.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Inside that mountain probably," said Luigi, "But why does this place look so technically advanced?" Indeed, as they looked around, they noticed that the walls were chromed and there were passcode dials on the walls next to doors.

"What kind of place is this?" asked Peter as they walked down the tiled hallway.

"Not a mountain, that's for sure," said Luigi. Suddenly, a Goomba walked out of one of the doors ahead of them. Luigi quickly drew his hammer and disposed of it with one quick smack on the head but as soon as he did so, alarms began blaring.

"Uh-oh!" Peter yelled over the alarms, "Let's get out of here!" Luigi dashed further down the hallway, Peter right behind him when a large group of Bowser's minions suddenly turned the corner at the end of the hallway and began charging at them. They turned to go back but another large group was pouring out of the doors.

"We're dead!" Peter cried, "Do something!" Luigi couldn't focus enough with the alarms blaring so instead, he ran quickly over to one of the nearby doors and tried typing in codes.

"Bowser is Awesome… no," he said to himself, "Mario is a fool… not that either. I've got it! I'll… get… those… plumbers!" The door opened and Luigi pulled Peter inside, the door shutting itself behind them just as the forces were reaching them.

"How did you figure that out?" asked Peter in amazement.

"Wild guess," said Luigi, "But they know where we are and also the code as well." He quickly scanned the room. There were large boxes littered all over the place, some of them on their sides and spilled open and others stacked neatly next to the walls (Which seemed like a miracle for a place that seemed to be run by Bowser). He saw a tight air vent on the ceiling and a glint coming from some of the rubbish that was spilling out of one of the boxes.

"I've got an idea," said Luigi as he moved over to the door again.

* * *

The leader of the forces outside the door pounded on the door. The passcode wasn't working and the keypad didn't seem to be either. They seemed to have short circuited.

"Open up!" he continued to yell. He pounded on the door a few more times before sending another threat.

"Open up or we'll throw you in prison for the rest of your lives!" he yelled.

"Sir Hambro, should we bring the dynamite?" asked a Koopa from behind him.

"Give me one more shot," said Hambro. He pulled a hammer from his pack, the strongest he had, twirled in his hand for luck, and smashed it against the door. It created a dent that could easily be seen from the other sided as it was in the shape of the head of the hammer. He hit the door a few more times and soon a hole appeared in it. With a few more swings, the hole was wide enough to see through.

"Get your butts out of that room!" Hambro yelled.

"Are you sure you want us to come out?" Luigi's voice asked.

"Are you mocking me?" Hambro asked with anger in his voice.

"Maybe," said Luigi's voice. Hambro smashed open the hole wider but suddenly, the door opened revealing a room full of crates, one in particular opened up in front of them. It was a box full of TNT and there was a string coming from it leading into the air vent above which was strangely opened.

"What on earth?" Hambro questioned. He walked into the room but quickly froze when he saw that the string was not just protruding from the box. The string was burning down from the air vent and heading for the crate.

"Run for your lives!" Hambro yelled. He dashed for the exit and jumped at least twenty of the minions that were with him who were confused at his order. He looked back at them.

"Well don't just stand there!" Hambro yelled, "That room is going to blow!" The minions all panicked at once and began running for their lives in different directions. Some of them went the direction Hambro was going while others were dashing the other direction and most were going into the room to be exploded out of both panic and stupidity. Hambro knew he couldn't fear for their lives; they usually got destroyed early anyways and kept running. An explosion knocked him and the minions following him to the ground but they got up and kept running. This had to be reported to Morton. Those two enemies were running free in the air vents.

* * *

As soon as Luigi and Peter got out of the air vent and into another smaller room, they high fived and began laughing over that event.

"That was awesome!" Peter exclaimed, "I had no idea you were so good with explosives! Nice touch disabling the electrical flow for the keypad."

"It was nothing," said Luigi, "I studied a lot of stuff while I was in Sarasaland and blew up a boat a few weeks back." Peter got up and stretched out his body and Luigi did the same.

"So what now?" asked Peter.

"Well, we need to find the leader of this complex," said Luigi, "From the air vent I'm guessing we advanced up at least two floors." Peter observed the room again.

"That explains why the rooms are getting smaller," said Peter. He walked over to one of the crates that were in this room. There were fewer crates than the one on the floor below but there were still quite a few to look through. Peter drew a crowbar and pried the lid off of the crate. He found more TNT and other explosives.

"Why do they need so many explosives?" Peter asked. Luigi didn't have an answer for him. He was just as confused. They found three more crates with more explosives and another crate full of trash. Luigi pulled out what he had found in the trash crate on the first floor. It was a dulled, drained Power Star.

"It's unbelievable that he would just throw them away when he's done with them," said Luigi.

"I bet he has a junkyard somewhere full of them," said Peter.

"I bet fifty coins he doesn't," said Luigi.

"You're on!" Peter exclaimed. They shook on it, Luigi cured the Power Star using the Griffin Star Cure, and then they went back to searching crates. There was nothing more of interest so they turned to the air vent again but out of nowhere, a loud voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Luigi and Peter Mario!" it yelled, "You are to report to the top floor of this complex immediately! These are direct orders by Morton Koopa Jr.!" The loudspeaker went off and Luigi looked at Peter.

"Your last name is Mario?" Luigi asked in suspicion.

"Yours too?" Peter said trying to act surprised, "What a coincidence!"

"I… guess so," said Luigi, though he still sounded suspicious, "Well, I suppose we should head to the top floor then if it's a 'direct order'."

"Well, at least we know who we're up against," said Peter.

"Yeah," said Luigi unenthusiastically, "The explosions master of the Koopalings, Morton, and the one who beat the tar out of Starlow and Chlorus back in the Hidden Forest."

"You remember a lot," said Peter admirably.

"Yeah, I suppose it comes easy to me," said Luigi.

"Well, shall we go and kick some Koopaling butt?" asked Peter. Before Luigi could answer, the door flew open and a large group of minions led by Hambro burst into the room and seized the two of them.

"You are under arrest in the name of Bowser Koopa!" Hambro yelled, "Come with us!" He led them out of the room followed by the many minions that he had brought. They walked down the hall for a bit and Luigi and Peter communicated with their eyes.

"_What do we do now?_" Peter asked in panic.

"_Just stay calm,_" said Luigi, "_Morton isn't the sharpest tool in the shed._" At least, he hoped that was still true. Things could change in ten years. They reached the end of the hallway which turned out to be a dead end. Hambro turned to the left and typed in the code in another keypad. The door opened up to reveal a very tall stairwell leading to the top of the complex.

"Hope you've worked out lately," Hambro said with an evil smile.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi and Peter have been captured by Hambro, the fourth veteran minion (Yes, I know his name is ghetto but I couldn't think of anything else), and are being taken to Morton Koopa Jr., the Koopalings' explosive expert. I added the explosives part because what's an adventure story without explosions? What will happen to our two heroes? Will they be imprisoned by Bowser forever? Or will they find some way to escape? **

**The complex's disguise, the large conical mountain, is meant to look like the large mountain in World 6 of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Bowser also says "I'll get those plumbers" in the opening of the Super Mario Bros. 3 cartoon so I decided I'd indict it into the story.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	19. Lots and Lots of Explosions

Chapter 19: Lots and Lots of Explosions

It was painful walking up all of those stairs. There were at least thirty to forty flights and by the time they reached the top, Luigi and Peter were ready to faint from exhaustion. Hambro, who had broken off from the group around the third floor, emerged from sliding double doors to the left of the staircase.

"Have fun prisoners?" he asked evilly.

"There… was… an elevator?" Luigi asked in disbelief and exhaustion.

"No duh," said Hambro, "You think we'd make a forty story complex and not have elevators? We're not that stupid! Well anyways, Sir Morton awaits you through those doors." He gestured towards the doors in front of them.

"Trust me, you're in enough trouble already," said Hambro, "Don't get him mad or you'll be in bigger trouble." With that he pushed them both towards the doors. He gestured for them to keep moving and Peter's hand shook as he reached the doorknob. He twisted it and the door opened and the two of them walked into the main office of the complex.

Morton was waiting for them, sitting behind a desk (which Luigi assumed to be packed with explosives). He looked as scary as ever with his dual colored brown and white face and dark skin, which made Luigi and Peter shudder because those were ghostly colors.

"So, you decided to show up, eh?" said Morton standing up from his desk. Like his siblings, he had gotten much bigger and by the looks of it was probably almost as big as Bowser by now. He gripped a wand in his right hand.

"You're going to regret ever existing when I'm done with you," he said cruelly. Luigi gulped. Peter scanned the room nervously as though trying to get a last glimpse out of the world in case Morton tried to kill them.

"But first, I'm sure you're wondering where the heck this mountain came from in the first place since it obviously wasn't here the last time you passed through," said Morton. Before they could give an answer, he continued.

"Ya see, it's this new technology that dad uses to randomly spawn things out of nowhere and use them for stuff," said Morton, "It runs on the power of the Grand Stars, which we can't seem to inflict the Parasite Curse on for some reason, and…" Morton continued to explain a whole thing about drawing out simple blueprints and making the real things via magic within seconds. He also told them that Bowser could expand on areas that already existed in a matter of seconds as well, an example being expanding a forest all the way across the kingdom from north to south. Then he got off topic and began talking about all the stuff they had been doing to make the universe "better" in the last ten years and finished up by explaining what he and his siblings' wishes were when Bowser told them they could have whatever they wanted.

"… and that is why I am completely awesome," Morton finished. Peter yawned and Luigi looked around for a clock to check the time. There was none.

"Are you even listening to me?" asked Morton.

"What?" said Luigi, turning to attention.

"You were saying?" asked Peter.

"Do I have to explain everything again?" asked Morton.

"Oh, please do," said Luigi, "I'm afraid I didn't catch all of that."

"Me neither," said Peter.

"Ugh… okay, I'll explain it all again," said Morton. This time he went completely off the subject that he had explained before and began explaining Bowser's entire lawbook to them which sounded like something out of a greek text; they couldn't really understand a word he was saying because he was talking so fast.

"You're going to be hunted down and captured and killed within the next few days!" Morton finished with an evil sneer. He looked in front of him and saw that there was no one there.

"Huh?" he said in confusion, "Where did those two go?" He felt something hard hit his head and fell to the ground. Luigi landed on his feet with his hammer in his hands. Morton quickly scrambled to his feet.

"Hey, that's not nice!" he yelled. He pulled a bomb out of nowhere, lit it, and threw it at Luigi. Peter rushed out of his hiding spot with newly drawn scissors and cut the fuse. Luigi picked it up quickly and threw it at Morton's feet, who was now boiling in rage.

"How dare you defy me in my own office!" he yelled. He reached for another bomb but Luigi fired a small blast of electricity at the defused bomb and it exploded, blowing all three of them backwards from where they were. Peter crashed through the door and landed at Hambro's feet.

"What the…" Peter smacked him with the scissors and brought them back into his pen for another weapon; a matchbox which Luigi had given him specific instructions to create. Morton in the meantime was busy trying to blow Luigi up with grenades and bombs and even threw dynamite at him but Luigi dodged them all and blew them up with stimulating electric blasts. The whole office was in ruins within a few minutes.

"Alright you, time to pull out all of the stops!" Morton yelled. He waved his wand and the walls suddenly opened up. Out of them flew enormous spiked battering rams that Luigi was just barely able to dodge by ducking down to the floor. Morton was right in the middle cackling with glee.

"You'll never defeat me as long as I've got these on my side!" Morton cackled. Luigi threw his hammer at Morton who easily dodged it and it hit the wall. Luigi dove to the ground again and the battering rams came out, one of them picking up the hammer and smashing it into the opposite wall from which it came.

"Darn it!" Luigi cursed under his breath. His hammer and dagger were both gone now.

"Luigi!" Peter yelled. Luigi looked up and caught a lit match just as the battering rams were retreating. He made a mad dash for the desk that Morton was now in front of. Morton caught Luigi by the arm but Luigi spun around and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to reel backwards. He jumped on top of the desk and pulled a drawer open and sure enough, it was filled with explosives. He dropped the match in and jumped off.

However, Morton engaged him in combat the second he hit the ground. Luigi quickly evaded Morton's punches, which were incredibly slow, and then kicked him in the face, knocking him backwards. He was about to dash for the door but the battering rams flew out of their spots again, trapping him between them, Morton, and the desk that was about to explode. Luigi thought quickly and pulled out both fully charged Power Stars at once. He quickly charged a seemingly impossible amount of electricity and yelled to Peter to get lower down the stairs, then released the blast.

The battering ram in front of him exploded into bits of steel but unfortunately, the electrical blast had also catalyzed the desk explosion as well. Luigi dashed out of the room as he heard the desk explode behind him. He was just barely able to roll down the stairs when the blast flew from the room, pulled the last few feet by Peter. He figured Morton would have been killed by such an explosion, but he heard someone screaming that their hair was on fire that sounded a lot like Morton.

"Let's get out of here!" Peter yelled. They began dashing down the stairs faster than they ever had. Explosions echoed through the hallways which probably meant that Morton was pretty darn mad. They were able to knock out twenty flights before Hambro's voice came over the intercom.

"Attention Luigi and Peter Mario, Sir Morton is very, _very_ mad at you fools so he is going to blow this place to pieces with you still in it," said Hambro, "Sayonara suckers!" A sudden explosion blew the wall open nearby them revealing the outside world with it. Then they heard rumbling from below their feet.

"Do you have a helicopter you can draw?" asked Luigi in panic.

"Only a one seater!" Peter cried.

"Hold onto my legs," said Luigi, "This might get rough." Peter did as he was told and grabbed Luigi's legs tightly and Luigi jumped out of the hole that had been created in the side of the complex. Then, holding onto the fabric of his magic cloak, he took the cloak off and it began to glide like a parasail, gliding over the plains below as the large mountain complex exploded behind them from the bottom up and an airship retreated from its tip in their general direction. Luigi directed the cloak down towards Cavi Cape where he saw an enormous hole and floated down towards it, dipping down into it until they hit solid ground in a mine sort of place. Peter continued to grasp Luigi's legs in fear.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights too," said Luigi, "We're fine now."

"N-n-no," said Peter as he opened his eyes, "I was just afraid we were going to die." Luigi put his cloak back on and Peter yawned again and before Luigi knew it, he had fallen asleep in his lap. Luigi couldn't blame him. He was only eight and he'd apparently been through quite a lot. There were a lot of things he wondered about Peter since they had met; why they had the same fear of ghosts, who the heck he was in the first place, and why they had the same last name now that it had been mentioned by both Morton and the Hammer Bro that had captured them. He believed he knew the facts behind that already; the two of them had to be related in some way, but in what way? It didn't matter at the moment because they were safe in this mine area… for now.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi and Peter have barely escaped Morton's grasp and are now within a mine of some sort underground Cavi Cape. And Luigi has very close suspicions as to who exactly Peter is. Who rescued Morton from the exploding complex? Where are Luigi and Peter? And will they ever reach Sarasaland at this pace? Lots and lots of explosions in this chapter (Hence the name) along with a very long fight scene, probably the longest I've ever written in my life. Yes, I update this story very fast because my new preferred writing style (If you read my profile) is short chapters, fast updates. I try to keep these chapters under 2000 words so I can write them nice and quick for you guys to read. :)**

**Morton talked a lot in this chapter which was one of his prime characteristics in the Super Mario Bros. Cartoons. The way Luigi glides with his cloak is a reference to Hoodwinked in which the main character uses their cloak to glide twice in the movie. And the mining area that Luigi and Peter are in is the same place Bowser ends up at after being quite literally blown out of his castle by Bob-ombs in Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	20. Truths and Traitors

Chapter 20: Truth and Traitors

Luigi and Peter rested within this strange mining area for a few hours before starting to advance again. Peter drew a compass to confirm north so that they could be sure that they were heading east. However, the only east passageway ended up a dead end.

"Now what?" asked Luigi.

"I really don't know," said Peter, "It's not like this is the labyrinth or anything." They debated over what their next move would be when all of a sudden, the ground nearby them began to bulge. Neither of them noticed until a Monty Mole popped out of the ground and spoke to them.

"You two fellers lost?" he asked. Luigi and Peter almost jumped out of their skin.

"Whoa! Where did you come from?" Luigi said in surprise.

"The name's Gordon the Monty," said the mole, "You two fellers seemed to be lost up here so I decided I'd come up and give you a hand."

"We're not lost," said Peter, "We've got a compass right here." He held up the compass in his hand.

"A compass isn't gonna get you anywhere in these here tunnels," said Gordon, "Come on back to the resistance camp and we'll talk a little more." Luigi and Peter looked at each other and blinked. A resistance camp? Were there people down here? Gordon burrowed underground shallowly so that they could see his dirt trail and began moving back down the tunnel.

"Should we follow him?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, let's move," said Luigi.

* * *

They followed Gordon for about fifteen minutes when they came across an expansive cavern with many tunnels leading out of it. There were about twenty Monty Moles working in here. Large crystals and gems stuck out of the ceilings and walls and there was scaffolding everywhere. Large mechanical Goomba-like robots were carrying coal around to different machines that were in the cavern. They even saw one full of bombs.

"This isn't the place we're supposed to be at," said Gordon, popping his head out of the ground, "This is the mining area. It's owned by my bro." Another Monty waved from a crane nearby them.

"Hey bro!" Gordon called, "We're just passing through here!"

"Gotcha bro!" said the other Monty, "I'll see ya tonight!" He went back to his work and Gordon tunneled underground, motioning for Luigi and Peter to follow. They did and another thirty minutes passed before they ended up in another large cavern. This one looked more like an apartment building. They were surprised to see creatures of all sorts of species hanging around here, from Toads to Monty Moles. Children were playing everywhere as many parents looked on. The whole gathering turned when Luigi, Peter, and Gordon entered the room.

"Yo folks!" said Gordon, "We've got a pair of lost travelers here!" Nobody said anything as they stared at Luigi and Peter.

"What?" said Gordon, "No welcome?" Whispers went up all over the room saying, "It's him," and echoing off of the walls. Luigi understood what they meant perfectly. Of course they would recognize him. He used to be one of the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom!

"What is wrong with you people?" Gordon asked as he turned around to look at Luigi and Peter again, "There's nothing wrong with…" He stopped, recognizing Luigi's face.

"Oh," he said in disbelief, "I get it now. Excuse me." He turned around and then turned back to them.

"Where in stars have you been for the past ten years?" Gordon screamed.

"Calm down!" Luigi cried, "I'll explain everything. Just get me a place to stand and I'll address the crowd."

Within a few minutes, Luigi was on the highest level of the room and looking down at the large crowd below. Peter stood with his back to the opposite wall looking up to him tossing his pen in his hand. The rest of the crowd was still trying to get a good look at Luigi. He pulled a megaphone (He didn't know where or how the heck he had gotten it) out of his cloak.

"People of the resistance!" Luigi said through the megaphone, "I'm sure you're all aware that I have been missing for the past ten years. That is true only to you. In truth, I was developing my strength in Sarasaland and…" He went onto explain everything (again) from Sarasaland up to that moment. He left out a few parts like his family and Tanya, who seemed to only want him to know she existed (and even he had doubts about her existence).

"And that is why I am here now," said Luigi, finishing with the huge battle at the mountain complex, "Any questions?" Everybody's hand went up, including Peter's. That was the only surprise to Luigi. He thought Peter knew everything already from how many times he'd explained his story in front of him. But he jumped down to the ground and began answering everybody's questions, Peter waiting his turn at the back of the crowd.

It was about an hour before Luigi reached Peter, who was last person to ask a question. Most of the previous questions were things like, "Are you real?" and "Are you going to defeat Bowser?" But what Peter was about to ask, or rather say would shock him.

"Luigi, I have a comment, not a question," said Peter.

"Yes?" asked Luigi. Peter fell into his uncle's arms.

"I'm your nephew," said Peter.

"I knew it!" Luigi exclaimed as he embraced the young boy.

"You did?" asked Peter.

"Well, not the nephew part but the related part yes," said Luigi. He gave a smile.

"So where did you come from?" asked Luigi. Peter explained his story. He had been born in Bowser's prison eight years ago to Mario and Peach, but just a week after he was born, Bowser had taken him away from his parents and entrusted his care to the Magikoopa, Kamesha. She was to teach him that Bowser was the benevolent king of the universe and that his ways were right, but she had a soft spot for him and told him the truth about Bowser's rule, and also who his parents really were, even pointing them out from a hiding spot in Bowser's throne room, where they had been moved after he was born along with all of the other Mushroom Kingdom's most important figures, when he was five, and giving him the pen afterwards (Whew, longest sentence in the story so far!). She trained him to use the pen throughout the next year and then together they escaped, but Kamesha was caught and executed for being a traitor. Peter fled to Earth and fainted outside labyrinth from exhaustion where Chlorus found him and took him in.

"And that's basically how I got here," said Peter. Luigi put his hands on Peter's shoulders.

"You've been through way too much," said Luigi. He turned to Gordon who had been listening nearby and crying from the touching story.

"You said that this place was a home for those of a resistance?" asked Luigi. Gordon quickly straightened up and dried his tears.

"Yessirree!" said Gordon, "All of us down here are against Bowser's rule and would do anything to stop him. We've been so busy gathering information on him that we've been able to build tunnels all over the underground Mushroom Kingdom and reached from the west all the way over to Sarasaland!" Luigi and Peter turned in surprise.

"You've reached Sarasaland?" they both asked at once.

"Uh… yeah," said Gordon, "We Monty Moles are awesome diggers! We could dig hole straight through the earth in a couple of hours if it weren't for, like, the molten core and stuff."

"Can we use the tunnels to get there?" asked Luigi.

"Yep," said Gordon, "Feel free! Anybody who's an enemy of Bowser is a friend to us resistance Monties! But you'll need a guide. I know just the person!"

* * *

Gordon led Luigi and Peter up to a large cavern entrance.

"She's waiting inside," said Gordon, "Be polite or she'll… well, never mind." Luigi and Peter nodded and walked inside.

What they found was not what they had expected. It was a large block woman with brown hair, lipstick, and eyes, along with legs, arms, and high heels.

"So, some people arrive in zee residence of Broque Madame," said the block woman in a thick French accent, "Tell me, what do vous wish of me?"

"Please ma'am," said Luigi, "We need to have a way to navigate the tunnels." The woman stared at them.

"Ah yes," said Broque Madame, "Zee tunnels we use to navigate, eh, how does vous say it? Under zee radar of zee one called Bowser. He is just so… charming, in an evil way of course."

"Yes ma'am," said Peter, "We need a way to navigate them." Broque Madame pulled a small block from behind her back and tossed it on the ground at their feet. Suddenly, it sprouted legs, a tail, and a kitten's face and began running around the room.

"A Blitty," said Broque Madame, "It is zee block cat. Zis one has very special powers and can navigate zeese tunnels. Just tell it where you want to go and wallah! It goes there for vous. Magnifique don't vous think?"

"Uh… yeah," said Luigi, "Thank you very much." He bent down to the Blitty.

"Do you think you could take us to the Shrouded Forest in Sarasaland?" Luigi asked it. He felt stupid talking to a block but its legs quickly carried it out of the room. They heard a meow echo off of the walls.

"If vous lose zee Blitty just listen for its adorable noise," said Broque Madame, "Now off with vous!" They heard another meow and quickly dashed out of the room after the Blitty's sounds leaving Broque Madame to herself.

"Hmmm… now would be quite zee good time to call in…" she said to herself. She pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. It rang a few times and then the person on the other end picked up.

"Bonjour Monsieur Bowser," said Broque Madame. She listened for a few moments.

"Yes, zhay are coincidentally going to zee place where vous was going to storm next," said Broque Madame, "So zhere was no need to… trick out, zee Blitty." Bowser said something on the other end.

"Oui, zhat will be just grand," she said, "A month? Alright zhen. Bonjour Monsieur." She hung up.

"Zee unsuspecting fools," she said with a light laugh, "Zhay don't know what's coming for zhem."

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has **_**FINALLY**_** received the news that Peter is his nephew and Peter's whole past has been revealed. Now they are using the expansive underground tunnels to reach Sarasaland after meeting the large resistance underground. But it appears that Broque Madame is a bad guy, loyal to Bowser and they are using her Blitty to navigate the tunnels. What is meant when Broque Madame says that their destination is coincidental? Does Bowser know about Luigi's family? Or is that also a coincidence? And what will become of the resistance because of Broque Madame, who nobody knows the truth about? I am terrible with French aren't I? :) **

**Broque Madame appeared in Bowser's Inside Story where Bowser gave her massages using special attacks in exchange for gear. Blitties also appeared in this game where you had to collect fifteen to get Bowser's last special attack. The way the Blitty leads Luigi and Peter through the underground tunnels is a reference to the fourth book of the Percy Jackson series, The Battle of the Labyrinth. In that book, they had to follow a mechanical spider to find their destinations.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	21. Right into a Trap

Chapter 21: Right into a Trap

The Blitty wasn't very hard to keep up with. Its meows echoed off of the walls and constantly provided a way to find it. It was about twelve hours before the Blitty stopped. Luigi and Peter almost fainted in exhaustion. They were now in a small cavernous area with multiple crystals in it.

"Are… we there yet?" Peter gasped. Luigi took a few seconds before answering to catch his breath.

"The cat stopped so I guess so," he said. He looked up and saw a large hole in the ceiling. The stars shone through it. Luigi was able to recognize one of the constellations he used to look at while in Sarasaland and that did not appear in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"We're underneath Sarasaland's Shrouded Forest," said Luigi, "Amazing! The block actually got us here!" Suddenly, the Blitty sprouted a propeller directly under the hole, confusing the two heroes until Luigi realized it was floating up to hole in the ceiling.

"Hey wait, what's it doing?" asked Peter as he pointed at the Blitty. Luigi quickly grabbed Peter's arm then jumped up and grabbed one of the Blitty's feet. It was still able to hold their weight. It floated up out of the hole and landed them on the ground in a small forest clearing. Then it flew back down, meowed, and when Luigi and Peter looked down again, it was gone.

"You think it went back?" asked Peter as they stood up. Luigi didn't answer. He was transfixed on something in the sky.

"What's wrong?" asked Peter. Luigi didn't answer and dashed off towards what he had seen. Peter was confused until he saw what Luigi had run after. It was an airship. Peter dashed off after Luigi.

* * *

Peter almost ran right past Luigi's hiding spot but Luigi pulled him back. They were looking at a small cottage where Morton and what appeared to be a female Koopaling were threatening an old man at the door.

"Wendy O. Koopa," said Luigi under his breath, "Why of all the Koopalings did they have to send her?" Wendy was one of the brattiest, meanest, and most annoying girls anybody could have met. Even so, she was often called a tomboy, likely influenced by her seven brothers. Peter and Luigi could barely make out what they were saying at their distance.

"… the Star Cure or else!" Wendy yelled.

"Never!" Herman cried in a high voice, "Younguns like you should ask politely before you receive anything!"

"Ugh… you're so defiant…" Wendy was cut off by Morton who made up a huge lie about having both of the other Star Cures on hand already and talked for a good five minutes before Wendy cut him off because the subject was beginning to change to why pepperoni pizza was so delicious. Herman the hermit looked rather frightened after that lie. Luigi felt something emanating from inside his cloak. He pulled out the two Star Cures and saw that they were glowing, as though reacting to something.

"Is that another feature?" asked Luigi.

"Yep," said Peter, "The Star Cures emanate when they are all three brought together. Herman must be keeping his close." Luigi figured that that was why Herman was so nervous. He probably sensed that his Star Cure was emanating and thought that the others were under Bowser's possession. He put the Star Cures back in his cloak and stood up.

"Are we going to fight?" Peter asked eagerly.

"Can you handle this one on your own?" asked Luigi in response. Peter looked shocked.

"Why?" he asked.

"I have to go take care of something," said Luigi. He was about to dash off when suddenly, Wendy's wand buzzed.

"Oh hold on, let me take this call," she said putting the wand up to her face, "Yes? Uh-huh. Oh that's great! Yes, we'll take care of them right away and let you come and get them. Uh-huh. Bye-bye Daddy!" She turned to Luigi and Peter's location and blasted away the bushes with a razor ring from her wand. It went right between the two of them and flew off, slicing down a few trees before disappearing.

"Some boys here need to be taught a lesson," she said slyly. Morton's eyes went wide. Herman almost looked like he would faint.

"Dad wasn't kidding!" he yelled, "There they are! The ones that made me blow up my fortress! The brother of that idiot red guy! The…"

"We get it already Morton," said Wendy, "Let's take them down. Hambro! Pyrux! Rally the troops! We're storming these boys!" They heard Hambro's voice and another person's voice yelling at people on the airship docked above.

"Are you going to leave this to me now?" asked Peter.

"Absolutely not," said Luigi, forming a ball of heavily compressed electricity between his hands. It would explode on contact. Peter drew a staff and grabbed it in his hand. Morton pulled out a bazooka and began firing Bob-ombs at the two of them which Peter batted away and Wendy gripped her wand tightly. Herman quickly backed into his cottage and shut the door. Wendy began pounding on the door with her wand.

"You'd better get out here before I have the Sledge Bros. break your door down!" Wendy yelled. A Fire Bro and Hambro suddenly jumped off of the airship followed by at least a hundred of Bowser's troops, though probably more. Luigi fired the ball of electricity. Hambro and the one who was apparently called Pyrux dodged the attack and it blew up in midair after hitting a Sledge Bro. Just like that, the whole middle of the force was gone. The Bob-ombs Peter had been batting away had begun exploding all over the place, starting a forest fire.

"Oh no!" Peter yelled, "The forest is burning!" Luigi was too busy fighting Bowser's minions to notice. Morton fired a Bob-omb directly at him. Luigi bicycle kicked it away, right into the troops that Hambro and Pyrux were leading. Another huge explosion occurred, but this one set Herman's cottage on fire.

"Uh-oh," said Luigi noticing the fires that were starting. He quickly crushed a few more Goombas under his boots and knocked a Koopa shell into the force and tackled Wendy to the ground.

"Hey, that's no way to treat a lady!" yelled Wendy as she tried to pick herself up off the ground.

"Who ever said that you were a lady?" asked Luigi. Wendy took that as a direct insult and fired a few razor rings at him out of rage. Luigi dodged all of them and kicked down Herman's door.

"Get the Star Cure and get out now!" Luigi yelled. Herman, who was cowering inside nodded and grabbed a jar off of the shelf, which had a small blue sphere within it, as well as his walking staff and followed Luigi out of the cottage. Wendy tried to attack them but Luigi zapped her and she fell to the ground unconscious.

"Luigi… you came back!" Herman said with joy.

"Yep, I did," said Luigi, "I'll have to yell at you later. Right now…" A Bob-omb flew over their heads and into the cottage, exploding and setting the whole structure on fire.

"Let's get outta here!" Luigi yelled. He pulled Herman away from the cottage and over to an unburned group of bushes away from the fire nearby.

"Stay here," said Luigi. He turned and went face to face with the Fire Bro called Pyrux.

"You that plumber who's been messing with Bowser ain't you?" he said in an uneducated accent.

"Uh… yeah," said Luigi. Pyrux didn't say another word and charged up a fireball to fire directly at his face. Luigi swept him off of his feet with a drop kick and then shocked him with a surge of electricity. He amazingly seemed unfazed. He scrambled to his feet and then jumped back a few feet.

"We been developin' new technology to counter your special electrical powers or whatnot," he said, "It's called… rubber!" He pounded his chest and his fist bounced off of his chest plate. Luigi kicked him in the face after he was done gloating and he fell to the ground unconscious. He looked over and saw that Peter was fighting off most of the troops and had knocked out Morton. He also noticed that Wendy was gone.

"Huh? Where did she go?" Luigi asked himself.

"She went towards the west," said Herman, "I saw her." Luigi's heart sank. Could they possibly know about his family? He dashed towards the west, past the battle that Peter seemed to have under control and had put a large rain cloud over so as to put out the fires, to find that naughty Koopaling and teach her a lesson. But before he got too far, he almost ran into somebody.

"Whoa!" he yelled, stumbling to the ground in front of the person he had just seen in his way.

"Get up Mage of Thunder," the person said, "Hurry!"

"Tanya?" said Luigi as he scrambled to his feet. She looked him straight in the eyes with her strange blue and black eyes.

"Yes, it's me again, Luigi, the Mage of Thunder," said Tanya in her usual mysterious tone.

"Did you see a Koopaling run past here?" asked Luigi.

"The Koopaling is the least of your problems," said Tanya, "The minions shall call their leader to them to take their prisoners. One will be taken and the others will be saved." Luigi went pale and ran past Tanya and onto the familiar path that took him to the cabin.

* * *

He was too late. Bowser's minions were already storming the house. He didn't know why they were doing it, but he just couldn't stand the sight of it. Wendy apparently wasn't around so Luigi dashed forwards and took out the troops that were leaving the house with a few swift kicks. He quickly dashed inside and saw that enemies were everywhere, destroying things all over the place. He zapped them all out of anger and found Daisy and Danny hiding behind the couch nearby.

"Luigi!" Daisy cried. She and Danny came out of their hiding spot and hugged him tightly.

"Daddy, you came back!" Danny cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I did," said Luigi, "We have to get out of here before…" They heard a sonic boom outside. The three of them huddled together and suddenly, the roof was blown off of the house. Above them was a terrifying sight. There was an enormous battleship floating in the sky that seemed to have come from nowhere… and it was firing everywhere. And Luigi could make out a figure on the battleship's helm; it was none other than Bowser himself.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has finally been reunited with his family and the hermit, named Herman, after twenty chapters. But Bowser has decided to show his face to our hero for the first time in ten years. And so the question stands; Will Luigi be able to defeat Bowser if they end up battling? And are Tanya's words about someone being taken and another being saved come true? And if they do, who will be taken and who will be saved? We'll find out in the next chapter!**

**The Star Cures react to each other in the same way the Triforce pieces react to each other in the Legend of Zelda series when the three pieces are brought together in one place.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	22. Anger

Chapter 22: Anger

"What in the world is that thing?" Daisy cried. She held onto Luigi and Danny, who was looking up at the ship in awe, tightly.

"It must be Bowser's mother ship!" Luigi answered with pure rage in his eyes. His fury at seeing Bowser's face had risen up beyond eleven. Another blast from the ship blew through the house and Luigi quickly grabbed Daisy and Danny's hands.

"We have to get out of here now!" he yelled. Daisy didn't hesitate but Danny was too scared to move.

"Daddy, I'm scared," he cried. Luigi hefted Danny into his arms. He had grown a bit in the last few weeks.

"Let's move," said Luigi. Daisy nodded and they both ran out of the house, only to run straight into the path of Wendy O. Koopa and another whole force of Koopas.

"Well, our back up arrived just in time," she said. She gave an evil laugh.

"Who are these people?" Wendy asked. Luigi gave Danny to Daisy and fired a half charged plasma ball at her. She deflected it easily with her wand.

"Come on, you were a lot stronger back at the hermit's place," Wendy taunted. Anger blinded him. Within seconds, the storm that Peter had drawn back in the area of the first battle had expanded and was now spouting not only rain, but lightning. The lightning hit the force behind Wendy leaving only about a third of them.

"Someone is very angry now isn't he?" Wendy continued to taunt.

"Luigi, stop it!" Daisy cried, "You have to calm down!" Luigi felt the band on his wrist emanating suddenly. He lifted it to his face but nothing happened. Not a word was spoken. He couldn't hear anything nor could he talk to it. But before he could go totally psycho on Wendy and the rest of her troops, a laser blast burst through the trees and knocked out the rest of her force as well as knocking her to the ground. Peter ran into the clearing holding a laser blaster that he retracted into his pen as soon as he stopped.

"Luigi! Are you alright?" he asked. He noticed Daisy and Danny behind him. Luigi was glaring up at the enormous battleship in the sky that was firing on the whole land of Sarasaland.

"Are they…" Peter started. Wendy jumped up suddenly and fired three rings at Luigi, Daisy, and Peter. They captured the three within them and squeezed tightly so that they couldn't move their arms. Danny was squeezed tightly against his mother and was absolutely terrified.

"You are really a pain Peter Mario," Wendy told Peter fiercely, "I have half a mind to kill you right here."

"Get away from him Wendy," another voice said. Wendy looked around frantically.

"Who's there?" she asked. Another Koopaling dropped into the clearing. He looked a lot like Bowser and was almost the same size as him as well, but he wore a bib with a toothy mouth on it and held a paintbrush in his right hand.

"Junior!" Wendy yelled, "What are you doing here stealing my show?"

"Who said it was your show?" Bowser Jr. said in response, "I'm higher ranked than you anyways. I have privileges. I decided I'd stop you since Bowser wants to kill the kid himself. I'm just doing what he would want me to." Wendy rolled her eyes. Junior splatted her in the face with his paintbrush. This little argument gave Luigi enough time to charge a small bolt of electricity. He flung it by twisting his body around so that it was aimed directly in the middle of the two Koopalings. It exploded and the Koopalings were blinded for a few seconds. That gave Peter enough time to draw a rough knife and cut the ring off of himself, then cut them off of Luigi, Daisy, and Danny.

When the blast cleared, Peter was holding a three foot staff and Luigi had a flow of electricity moving through his hands, ready to fire. Danny was still holding onto Daisy tightly. Before any more action could occur though, a laser beam shot down into the clearing and exploded. When the smoke cleared, the heroes were within a light prison that surrounded them like a bubble. Bowser Jr. and Wendy got up and looked at the heroes.

"Well, looks like it's dad's show then," said Bowser Jr. He walked over to the side of the prison.

"Hope you like being prisoners!" he taunted. He painted a mocking face on the prison and then it was lifted off of the ground and towards the mother ship. Wendy and Junior watched it go.

"This isn't over yet Junior," said Wendy shooting her little brother a wicked glare. Kamek flew from above the trees.

"There you two are!" he cried, "Where have you been? Bowser needs you back on the mother ship immediately!"

"Well sorry, we kind of got distracted with some of our number one enemies," said Junior in annoyance, "Where's Morton?" Kamek was about to say something but Wendy butted in.

"He got kind of… beat up," said Wendy, "And by the way, that cabin the minions stormed? That just so happened to be the home of Luigi's family."

"Morton's back on the ship resting," said Kamek, "We need to get back up there and report this to Bowser." Both Koopalings nodded and shot killer glares at each other before Kamek began the teleportation spell. But before he could complete it, a beam of light shot out of the bushes and knocked them all down. Junior flung some purple poisonous paint into the bushes but a blur rushed past and knocked him over. Wendy and Kamek looked around warily but then she was picked up and thrown at the Magikoopa. They both fell to the ground unconscious. Their defeater stood over them. It was Tanya. In her hand was a short magic staff with a blue diamond at its tip.

"The hero is to go to the mother ship as a prisoner where the one to be taken will be taken," she said mysteriously. She heard the footsteps of Hambro and Pyrux coming her way and twirled. Before Hambro and Pyrux could reach the clearing, she was gone.

* * *

Luigi walked impatiently around the prison cell aboard the ship. He couldn't believe that they had been captured. How much technology did this Koopa have on hand? Danny lay crying in his mother's lap in the corner and Peter stood in the other corner of the cell with his arms folded.

"You let your anger get the best of you," said Peter, "I can tell." Luigi turned away from his nephew.

"Look, I'm mad at Bowser too," said Peter, "Everybody who isn't on his side is. But letting your anger fly like that is just wrong."

"Will you please be quiet?" Luigi snapped. He gazed across the prison cell room where his cloak and Peter's pen were lying on a shelf. They were the only prisoners so far, but who knew how many others Bowser would take as slaves. The door was suddenly flung open and two Sledge Bros walked in carrying a rather beaten Herman. They threw him in the cell next to their prison cell. When they left, Luigi began to talk to Herman.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You told me to stay where I was," said Herman weakly, "So I did. And I was captured."

"What about the Star Cure?" asked Luigi.

"Bowser took it," Herman coughed, "Please don't be angry. If you are angry at anything it would have to be yourself for being angry." Luigi had no response.

"It was me who tried to communicate with you back there," Peter spoke up, "To tell you that I was on my way."

"He was much too angry to communicate at that time," said Herman, "Your mind must be calm to activate the power of the communicators. That and you must also have complete trust in the one you are trying to communicate with. If one aspect is missing, communication will not occur." Danny got up onto his feet and walked over to his father's side.

"Hey, you're the old man who told me about all of those legends aren't you!" he exclaimed.

"Ah yes, I remember you now boy," said Herman, "You didn't give me your name but you most certainly confirmed your father's for me. Couldn't tell you those stories without that name." Luigi blinked.

"What did you tell him about?" asked Luigi.

"The many adventures of his uncle and father when they were younger," said Herman, "He seemed so interested and he confirmed my suspicions about you Luigi."

"Wait, so who is this guy exactly?" Daisy asked. Luigi took a deep breath and explained the whole story all over again to the group, adding in the part where Peter told him he was his nephew. After everybody confirmed that they understood the whole story, Peter asked the breaking point of the whole conversation.

"Shouldn't we be working on getting out of here?" asked Peter.

"He's right," said Daisy, "We need to get out of here."

"They took my pen and your cloak," said Peter gesturing towards the shelf on the other side of the room where their items resided, "How do we get out?"

"I did it!" Danny said excitedly.

"What did you… Whoa!" Luigi said. Danny had been able to slip through the bars as he was small enough and was now standing on the other side.

"Good job Danny!" said Luigi, "We need you to get our stuff."

"Right!" Danny exclaimed. He ran over to get the pen and the cloak and brought them back over to their owners. But as soon as he did that, an alarm went off. The two Sledge Bros. burst into the room on high alert. Peter quickly drew a sledge hammer and smashed the bars off the cage. Then he threw it at the large Koopas and knocked them both over.

"Let's go!" Peter yelled as he retrieved the sledge hammer. He broke open Herman's cell. Luigi turned to the others.

"Follow my lead and we should all be fine!" he said as he fastened on his cloak. Peter withdrew the hammer into his pen and followed closely behind Luigi, followed by Daisy and Danny, and finally Herman the hermit. But the second the stepped outside, they ran face to face into a force of Koopas so large that it outnumbered just about every force Luigi had faced put together. At its head was a female Koopa, though she was the size of one of the eight Koopalings, with a red shell.

"Well, we have some naughty prisoners trying to break out here don't we?" she said. Luigi readied a lightning bolt from the stormy skies above while Peter summoned a staff from his pen. Danny held tight to his mother again while Herman watched closely as Luigi and Peter got ready to fight.

"So you think you can withstand the might of Shelly Koopa?" she asked with a fierce laugh. The force charged forwards but a lightning bolt ripped through the sky down at them. The force, like many before it, was disintegrated by the intense blast of electricity. Peter swung his staff at Shelly but she ducked and drop kicked him. Peter fell to the ground unconscious.

Luigi readied another electrical blast and fired it, but Shelly ducked down again and out of her shell flew metal, artificial spikes. That caught Luigi off guard and the electricity was absorbed into them and released into the sky.

"How do you like that Luigi?" Shelly asked, "Now have a taste of your own medicine!" And as she said those words, a lightning bolt flew down from the sky reacting to the power of the absorbed electricity that Shelly had released…

* * *

**A/N: Ciffhanger! Luigi has gotten locked in a battle with a strange new Koopa named Shelly on Bowser's mother ship. Will he be able to protect Herman and his family from her? And who exactly is she anyways? The aspects of the communicators/friendship bracelets have finally been revealed as well. Focus and friendship is the key according to Herman. And it appears that Wendy figured out on her own that Daisy and Danny were Luigi's family. That can't be good.**

**I'm not going to be referencing anything for the next few chapters because most of them will be battling.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	23. The Whole Ten Koopas

Chapter 23: The Whole Ten Koopas

The lightning hit the ship's mast and exploded. That caused a blinding flash and when the light cleared, there were three Koopalings facing Luigi. Roy and Ludwig were on either side of Shelly, who was now holding wand like all of the Koopalings did, all of them glaring at Luigi murderously.

"Finally dad sends us in for some action!" Roy yelled, "I'm gonna pummel this guy to a pulp!"

"Now Roy, let's stick to my plan," said Ludwig calmly, "Remember, three steps ahead." Luigi glared at the three of them nervously. One Koopaling he could take easily. Two would be quite a bit harder. But three was like facing Bowser himself and that was no cakewalk. And he didn't even know this girl Shelly's fighting style yet even though she seemed rather familiar. All he knew was that she had retractable metal spikes and was apparently electricity proof like him.

Roy charged forwards first. As soon as he got close enough, Luigi grabbed his arm and spun him around so that he was stumbling towards Shelly and Ludwig. Ludwig however, swept his wand over Roy and he regained balance turning back around to charge at Luigi again. But this time, he retreated into his shell and Ludwig and Shelly took position on either side of him. They pointed their wands at each other and a beam of light shot out from each of them, forming a sort of band. Luigi watched warily as Roy began to spin backwards within his shell. It wasn't until he was all the way pulled back when Luigi realized what was going on.

Roy was flung from the band and straight at Luigi at lightning speed. Luigi quickly struck the ground with electricity and created a barrier that Roy fully crashed into and bounced back off of. Ludwig and Shelly were ready for this. They swung their wands around in in unison and a rush of water came out of nowhere, flying towards Luigi. But it parted around him so that it went towards…

"Guys look out!" Luigi yelled behind him. His allies behind him panicked and quickly tried to move. Peter still lay unconscious on the ground behind Luigi so Luigi picked him up in his arms. The water washed over them and then the Koopalings pulled their wands towards each other again, causing the water to collapse over Luigi and Peter.

The good news; that woke Peter up. The bad news; they were all washed towards the edge of the ship. Danny almost fell but Daisy caught him and pulled him into her arms. Herman was hanging on to a ladder structure on the side of the ship. Luigi and Peter were coughing and sputtering water on the deck as they hadn't been washed as far. Herman managed to pull himself back on deck with Daisy's help but another torrent flew at them from the Koopalings' direction, threatening to wash them off of the ship. Luigi focused all of his strength through the two Power Stars in his cloak and unleashed a huge bolt of electricity. The water was zapped so harshly that it began to steam and even the lights that lit up the deck went out from the huge amount of power. But the water wasn't slowed at all. It kept coming at them… but suddenly, it froze over into solid ice.

"What in the world just happened?" asked Peter as he rubbed his head.

"Something just saved our lives by freezing that water over," said Herman from behind, "Isn't it obvious?"

"Well excuse me, I was unconscious for this whole time," Peter snapped, "I still haven't fully come back from that I guess… hey, who's that?" Luigi looked very surprised. In front of them, holding a staff with a blue diamond tip, was Tanya. She was wearing a yellow dress and an orange bow this time.

"What are you doing here?" Luigi asked in surprise. Tanya turned around.

"The prophesy one shall arrive to help the hero to save the world from evil," she said in her usual mysterious tone, "And despite their combined efforts, they shall not be able to save the one to be taken."

"Who is the one to be taken?" asked Luigi. Tanya fixed her sights on Daisy, Danny, and Herman, who looked just as surprised as Peter.

"One of them," said Tanya, "It is not said. One who cannot fight. One who is innocent. That is how that one is described. And one more thing." She glared at Daisy and Danny in particular now.

"They know almost everything about you now," she finished. Luigi looked suddenly terrified, not just at Tanya's words but at what was behind her. A series of eight magical fireballs, ranging all the way across the spectrum of color, were all flying at them, or more particularly, at Tanya.

"Tanya, look out!" Luigi yelled. Tanya turned and flung a magic blast at the fireballs. They all vanished, but their producers lingered. In front of them, all of the Koopalings stood in line, from the oldest, Ludwig, to the youngest, Junior. There were nine of them and they seemed to be standing in order by age. First was Ludwig, followed by Wendy, then Roy, Iggy, and Shelly, after her, Morton, then Larry, Lemmy, and Junior.

Luigi glared at all of them. There were only three, including Tanya, who could fight on their side of the battle which meant that they were about to go through hell fighting. And hell was about to get ten times worse. Descending from the sky in his Koopa Clown Car was Bowser himself and as soon as he came within range of the battle, he jumped out and landed on the deck.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Luigi Mario," said Bowser in a hateful tone, "It's so nice of you to show up. I'm sure you'll enjoy getting completely annihilated by the ten of us."

"That's not even fair!" Peter yelled, "There's only a few of us and ten of you!"

"Shut your little mouth kid!" Bowser yelled back, "You should know good and well that I don't play fair. Koopalings attack!" All of the Koopalings charged forwards at their opponents. Luigi had to fight his anger hard to get it out of his way so he could focus. He managed to fire a loose electric blast that hit Lemmy and Larry, shorted out Lemmy's lightning rod wand, and knocked them out. Peter drew a boulder and pushed it at the Koopalings, but it was destroyed by Morton's bombs. He then drew his staff again and began fighting with that. Tanya was avoiding attacks with grace and teleportation as she fired on the Koopalings with magical lasers from the staff she held. Ludwig went down next, then Morton. Luigi struck Wendy and Junior with a lightning bolt. Peter managed to wipe out Roy with a smack to the head. However, that broke his staff and left him defenseless. Iggy and Shelly had disappeared. Bowser looked at the three fighters in awe, then in pure anger.

"You beat them all?" he yelled, "That's impossible!"

"Two still remain," said Tanya putting her staff in its sheath, "But they are busy right now with something…" Luigi heard a scream. He turned and saw that Iggy and Shelly had knocked out Herman and were holding Daisy and Danny captive. Without thinking he ran at them. Iggy flung a blast of magic at him and it exploded at his feet. He was knocked down.

"Excellent work you two!" Bowser complimented as he walked up to Luigi. He put a claw under Luigi's neck as a threat.

"Now tell me Luigi, are these two really your family?" he asked evilly. Luigi looked to Peter for assistance but he looked just as terrified. Tanya stared at the others in her usual mysterious way. Luigi had no choice.

"Y-yes," said Luigi weakly. Then he brought lightning down from the sky and it struck a flagpole nearby, surging electricity into the ground and zapping anybody Luigi commanded it to. He quickly rolled out of Bowser's grasp as the electricity reached him then steered it around Peter and Tanya and over the side of the ship. Bowser looked down at him furiously.

"You little nothing!" he yelled, "I am your king! You do not rebel against me!" Luigi didn't even answer and brought another lightning bolt down from the sky, directly at Bowser. But just then, a force field appeared around him and the lightning struck it instead.

"What?" Luigi said in disbelief. Kamek appeared out of thin air.

"Do you really think I'd allow the king to be killed?" Kamek asked with a laugh.

"Iggy! Shelly! Get those two back to the cells!" Bowser yelled. The two Koopalings saluted and began to rush towards the prison area again.

"Peter, get Herman up and get off the ship!" Luigi yelled.

"But Luigi…" Peter tried to protest.

"Now! Go!" Luigi yelled as he charged towards Iggy and Shelly. Peter grabbed Herman and shook him awake, quickly explaining what they needed to do, and jumped off the ship with him, waving his pen around as he did so as to draw something to float down.

Luigi rolled around in front of Shelly and Iggy and then kicked them both in the stomach. Daisy and Danny were dropped. Luigi went to help them up but Bowser breathed fire at them. Iggy and Shelly got out of the way quickly but Luigi spun his hands around each other and brought up a force field of electricity.

"Let's go!" Luigi said as soon as the fire had receded. He picked up Danny in his arms and he and Daisy began to run for the edge of the ship. There was no way they were going to be able to take down Bowser at the moment, especially here on his mother ship, so they would have to flee.

"Oh no you don't!" Bowser yelled, "All cannons fire!" The cannons on the deck began to fire at them. They dodged the blasts and they were almost to the edge of the ship when something tripped them. It was Iggy and Shelly with their wands, creating the same trip wire that Shelly and Ludwig had used to launch Roy. Danny rolled across the deck and almost fell off of the ship but he managed to stand up just in time. Luigi scrambled to his feet and grabbed Daisy's hand to pull her up.

He saw Tanya running towards Danny and hoped that she would help him off of the ship. She grabbed his hand and twirled and they both disappeared into thin air. Iggy and Shelly charged at them but Luigi kicked Shelly in the forehead and then spun around and punched Iggy in the face, following up with a kick in the stomach. They ran for the edge of the deck but something stopped them from moving. It was Kamek, hovering right behind them. Bowser was approaching them as well.

"You've gotten stronger Luigi," said Bowser, "I'll give you that. But your still nothing compared to your brother." Luigi shot a bolt of electricity at him but Kamek absorbed it into his wand and fired it back. It went over their heads and into the distance. They were close to the edge of the deck. If they could just back up a little further… but before they could, Bowser was on top of them and he grabbed Daisy! Luigi kicked him as hard as he could but that only made the small jar holding the Star Cure fall out of his shell and roll towards edge of the ship's deck where it fell overboard.

"GET OFF OF MY SHIP LUIGI MARIO!" Bowser yelled furiously. He punched Luigi as hard as he could and Luigi fell off of the deck, Daisy screaming after him in Bowser's hand. He fell after the small jar that held the Star Cure within it and long before he hit the ground, he fell unconscious.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi is falling! Daisy is captured! And who knows what happened to everybody else? Will Luigi survive his fall? What will happen to Daisy? Sorry for not updating yesterday. I got side tracked while writing this chapter. Anybody figured out Tanya's true identity yet? **

**I know I said last chapter that I wasn't going to reference anything, but I accidentally made the attack where Roy gets flung at the heroes very similar to Bowser's Shy Guy Squad attack in Bowser's Inside Story.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	24. The Miracle Cure

Chapter 24: The Miracle Cure

Luigi woke up to the sound of a crackling fire. He quickly jolted awake and observed his surroundings, checking to see if he had just dreamed the whole thing or not. He saw Danny standing next to him next to Peter and Herman tending the fire nearby. Tanya lurked in the shadows. He hadn't dreamed anything. Bowser's ship was nowhere in sight but the air around the area was still tense from the fights that had happened.

"Wh-what happened?" he asked weakly.

"We found you hanging from the tree by your cloak," said Peter, "You're lucky you didn't hit the ground." Danny hugged his father tightly. He had obviously been crying.

"Daddy, where's mommy?" he asked. Luigi knew that his son probably already knew but he told him anyways. Danny grasped him tighter. Luigi patted his son on the back. Danny had never seen anything so scary before because they had never allowed him to see any of the outside world. He should have shown Danny pictures or something about the enemies they were up against but he had wanted to keep him as far away from danger as possible. Now he regretted that.

"Where do we go from here then?" Peter asked.

"We need to form the Miracle Cure," said Herman, "I have the Star Cure right here!" He pulled out the jar that had fallen off of the ship with Luigi and popped the lid off. He put the Star Cure in his hand and it grew to the normal size. Luigi released Danny who went over to his cousin. Luigi assumed that Peter had told Danny about their relations. Peter put his hands on Danny's shoulders. Herman got up and brought the Star Cure to Luigi. It had a yellow star imprinted on the front and on the back was imprinted with a rhombus with four circles at each of its vertexes.

Herman reached down and took some ashes from the fire and then spread them on Luigi's right hand. Then he began to move them around until they formed that same symbol. It glowed and the ashes disappeared, leaving the mark of the third Star Cure.

Then Luigi brought out the other two Star Cures and threw all three in the air. He focused his mind and the symbols on his right hand glowed. Then the Star Cures glowed as well. There was a flash of light and when it cleared, the Miracle Cure was hovering above them. It was blue like all of the Star Cures and was shaped like a star itself. It had three colors towards its center, the same as the ones on the Star Cures; red on the top, yellow in the bottom left, and green in the bottom right. It had the three symbols imprinted on its center. It floated down into Luigi's hands. Everybody was silent for a few minutes.

"Now you must return to the Mushroom Kingdom and place the Miracle Cure in the shrine on Star Hill," said Tanya, breaking the silence.

"You make it sound like it has to be done tonight," said Peter. Danny nodded in agreement.

"The prophecy says that it will be done tonight," said Tanya. Luigi looked at her like she was crazy.

"You expect us to get all the way to the Mushroom Kingdom and find this shrine in one night that's almost half over already?" Luigi asked as he stored the Miracle Cure in his cloak. Tanya nodded.

"You have forgotten my power," said Tanya. She twirled and disappeared and then reappeared behind Peter and Danny.

"I can transport as many as three people along with me," she said, "Four is too many. But…"

"At least one of us is going to have to stay," Peter interrupted.

"It may as well be me," said Herman.

"But you have nowhere to go to," said Peter, "Your house blew up remember?"

"Danny can't stay behind either," said Luigi, "He's still young and there is no place to go here."

"You didn't let me finish my sentence," said Tanya, "But if we have the Miracle Cure, I may carry another." Everybody else looked at each other stupidly.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Peter exclaimed, "Let's go!" Luigi nodded.

"Right," he said, "When we get to the Mushroom Kingdom we can find the others and leave Danny and Herman with them."

"But I want to go with you!" Danny cried.

"It's too dangerous," said Luigi.

"Come on," said Peter, "He's been imprisoned by Bowser and could have gotten killed. Do you think that's not dangerous? And who knows? Maybe he has some undiscovered and useful talent."

"Uh…" Luigi said. He was at a loss for words. Peter had a point.

"Alright then, he can go," he said reluctantly.

"Yes!" said Danny, "Thanks Peter!"

"No problem cousin," said Peter. Luigi couldn't help but smile.

"Are we ready to go yet?" asked Tanya. Everybody nodded. Peter drew a pail of water and extinguished the fire.

"Then hold onto me," said Tanya, "This could get rough." Everybody did as they were told and Tanya spun around, taking power from the Miracle Cure as she did. Within seconds, they were gone.

* * *

Teleporting was between one of the most awesome and most terrifying things Luigi had experienced. They hurtled through interspace, as Tanya called it, at speeds unmatched by anything else. Everything was a blur around them. And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped and they appeared at the foot of a hill that appeared to sparkle dimly.

"This is Star Hill," said Tanya, "It is the start of the second leg of your journey. Take the Miracle Cure to the shrine at its apex and put it there. A star shall appear to take you and your companions into space, where you will meet a new, or rather old ally." Luigi nodded, wondering what she meant about new and old and he, Peter, and Danny began the slow trek up the hill. Tanya and Herman did not follow.

"Aren't you coming?" Luigi asked them.

"I will meet you during the next leg of your journey," said Tanya, "But the third guardian is not to go with you. I shall take him to your allies whom he will stay with. Good luck to you all." She grabbed Herman's arm and twirled, and the two of them disappeared from the base of the hill.

* * *

As they hiked up the hill, they figured out exactly why it sparkled. There were drained Power Stars littered around everywhere as though the hill were a junkyard for them. They all seemed to be drawn towards Luigi because he had the Miracle Cure.

"You owe me fifty coins," Peter whispered in his ear. Luigi rolled his eyes and handed the money over to him. Danny started to get tired on the way so Luigi picked him up in his arms. After about fifteen minutes of walking, they finally reached the top of the hill. Luigi put Danny down and saw what Tanya had meant about a shrine. There was a small hut shaped thing with doors on it. Luigi opened it up. There was a very familiar star shape pressed into the leather that made up the inside. Luigi brought the Miracle Cure out of his cloak and pushed it into the shrine. The whole top of the hill began to glow and the three of them watched in amazement as a blinding light covered the entire hill and perhaps the entire world. When the light cleared, the Power Stars were floating up, fully recovered and glowing like they once had.

"It's beautiful…" Danny said dreamily as he leaned against his father's side.

"That is awesome," said Peter. Luigi nodded in agreement. He turned from the amazing sight and saw that another star had appeared, but his one was larger than all of the Power Stars and the Miracle Cure. It was about three times the size of a Power Star and had golden spheres at each of its five vertexes.

"A Grand Star…" said Luigi in amazement. His son and nephew turned around to see the larger star. Luigi recalled that these things could give people the power of flight as long as it was in their possession and also could help them breathe in space.

"Are you kids ready?" asked Luigi. Both Peter and Danny nodded. Luigi took both of their hands and walked up to the Grand Star. All three of them touched it and were enveloped in another bright light before they shot into the sky, leaving the amazingness of Star Hill behind, and entering the next leg of the journey of the Mage of Thunder.

* * *

Rosalina shut the book in her lap.

"Aw… we wanna hear more Mama!" one of the Lumas cried.

"You will hear more tomorrow," said Rosalina kindly, "But now it is bedtime. One part of this story is finished, but another waits patiently to be told to you young star children who surround me. Be patient. Tomorrow perhaps the next part will be told…" She got up from her chair and put the book on the table next to her for tomorrow night when she would tell the second part of the story, and then she ushered the Lumas out of the room so that she could put them to bed.

* * *

**A/N: Part one is finally finished! I never thought I'd get it done… Part two starts tomorrow as Rosalina said, so stay tuned in to the story because it's far from over! And thank you for all of the nice reviews! I've really never had this many readers before! I bet a lot of you forgot about the bet Luigi and Peter made in Morton's fortress. I just had to put that little scene in here.**

**A lot of people have been thinking that Tanya is Rosalina. Well I'm just going to say right now that Tanya has nothing to do with Rosalina whatsoever. But keep guessing through part two! I still want to see if anybody can figure it out.**

**The Miracle Cure and the Star Cures came from Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, which is one of the best Mario RPGs I've ever played. Star Hill was an area from Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, Bowser's Inside Story's predecessor, which I have not played but have watched a playthrough of.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo. **


	25. A New Dark Side

It was that time again. Rosalina was walking towards the library, Lumas swarming around her waiting for her to get in and start reading to them.

"Calm down young ones," she said kindly, "Let me get to the library first." The Lumas lied off a little and Rosalina walked into the library. She sat down on her chair and looked around at the eager Lumas in the room. There were about twice as many as the previous night. The white Luma came up to her and floated around behind her so that he could see the pages of the book.

"Before we start, let me give a brief recap of Part 1 for our new listeners," said Rosalina, "Luigi, also known as the Mage of Thunder, has travelled through the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland to gather the Star Cures and free the lands from Bowser's reign. However, his lover has been taken by Bowser so he has gone to Star Hill and is now on his way into the outermost reaches of space." The Lumas began moving around excitedly waiting for her to begin. Rosalina smiled and opened the book up to the page marked and then began reading.

* * *

Part 2: Outer Space

Chapter 25: A New Dark Side

Bowser walked into his throne room satisfied with his actions on the home planet of the Mushroom Kingdom. His raid on Sarasaland had been successful, and many people had given in to his power. And now he had Sarasaland's former princess, Peach's cousin, and according to Kamek, Luigi's wife, in chains. Daisy was led in by Hambro and Pyrux, followed by Friese behind them. Bowser had called all of his veteran minions here for a meeting. He had heard that Kamek had finally found someone who could use the spell he needed when he broke off on the way back to the castle.

Turner opened up an empty cell and Hambro and Pyrux pushed Daisy inside. Then Turner shut the cell and the four Bros walked to the front of the room, where Bowser was now sitting on his throne.

"Your highness, what is it that you have called us all here for?" asked Friese as they all bowed.

"I will explain when Kamek gets here," said Bowser. Right on cue, Kamek rushed into the room followed by a large robed block person who was about as big as Bowser.

"Your burliness!" Kamek yelled frantically, "Our troops in the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland… they're disappearing!"

"WHAT?" Bowser yelled. Kamek shrunk back.

"I believe it has something to do with the Miracle Cure being remade…" he said. Bowser glared at Kamek.

"What does the Miracle Cure have to do with anything?" Bowser yelled.

"Apparently it can cure the land of any plague that plagues it if placed in a certain spot," Kamek explained, "And apparently, it saw us as a plague. Luigi is the one who reformed it and I believe he is in space right now."

"Well you'd better get more troops down there and start that plague back up!" Bowser yelled, "But stay here first and introduce our new ally."

"I am known as Reuben Blockley, a sorcerer of black magic from your loyal galaxy of Supermassive," said the robed person formally, "As you can see, I am one of the smaller of the large things there. I take it that you are the mighty Bowser?"

"Of course," said Bowser, calming down and sitting back down, "Kamek has told me that you possess the ability to use the spell I need."

"Of course," said Reuben, "Now who is it that you need me to work my magic on?"

"Just one," said Bowser. He pointed at Mario's cell and Mario pushed himself against the back wall. Reuben walked over and sized up his subject.

"Yes, I can indeed work my magic on this one," said Reuben. He raised his hands in front of Mario's cell and began chanting.

"Spirits of darkness; come and arise! Take this one, he is your prize! Halve his soul, split it in two! Make one half his own, and let the other belong to you!" He continued the chant and as he did, darkness began to rise in steady streams from his feet and began to surround Mario who was panicking now. All of Bowser's other prisoners watched in terror at Reuben's magic, especially Peach, who fainted around the fourth run through the chant. When Reuben finally stopped chanting, the darkness had fully enveloped Mario.

Then, it suddenly all came off of him. Mario was lying on the ground in his cell unconscious. The darkness formed together in the center of the throne room and began to take a shape. It took a few minutes, but when it was finished, it had formed a shadowy version of Mario. Then the darkness cleared, and in its place stood… Mario? He sure looked like Mario but there were great differences. His hat and shirt were brown and his overalls black as well as his hair. His moustache was the same but it was spikier on the rounded parts so it looked like he had black icicles hanging from his upper lip. His eyes were brown and he stared straight forward at Bowser as though frozen in time. Reuben turned around.

"There," he said, "It is done." The Mario outside the cell reached up and rubbed his eyes.

"Where am I?" he asked in a darker tone than Mario used. An evil grin crept across Bowser's face.

"You've outdone yourself Reuben!" he cackled. The new Mario looked directly at Bowser.

"I will ask again, where am I?" he said with slight impatience in his tone. Bowser decided it was best to answer his question.

"You are in my castle," Bowser explained, "I am Bowser Koopa, the ruler of this universe."

"And who might I be?" the new Mario asked. Bowser looked over at Reuben puzzled.

"Doesn't he know who he is?" asked Bowser. Reuben shook his head.

"He has only existed in this world for a few seconds," said Reuben, "He will learn as he goes along."

"Well in that case, your name is Dark Mario," said Bowser, "You work for me now."

"Is this my purpose in this world?" he asked, "To serve you?"

"Of course," said Bowser, "I will have one of my veteran minions here explain things to you in private."

"Okay," said Dark Mario, "So I am Dark Mario and I serve Bowser Koopa." Bowser gestured to Hambro to take Dark Mario out of the room and give him a tour and an explanation. Hambro nodded and he and Dark Mario left the room.

"I believe I must leave now," said Kamek, "I must dispatch more troops to the Mushroom Kingdom." With that, he left the room. Bowser turned back to Reuben.

"You've most certainly outdone yourself," said Bowser, "You may have accommodations here until you are ready to go back to Supermassive."

"Of course," said Reuben, "I thank you kindly King Bowser Koopa." They shook hands and he left the room.

"Now what do we do?" asked Friese. Bowser thought a moment before getting an idea.

"Get the Koopalings out to the disloyal galaxies," said Bowser.

"Why?" asked Pyrux.

"Didn't you hear what Kamek said?" asked Bowser, "He said that Luigi is probably in space right now. If he's in space, he's bound to head towards the galaxies that won't be hostile to him. So we make them hostile for him!"

"Oh, I see!" said Friese, "Let's go bro!" Friese and Pyrux left the room. Bowser rubbed his hands together like most evil villains do.

"Soon Luigi," he said, "Soon you will be mine!"

* * *

The Grand Star carried them through space almost faster than sound. They flew among many stars and galaxies before the Grand Star's apparent destination came into view. It was a large blue comet heading straight at them. They were moving so fast that they didn't even know it was there until they crashed into it. The large comet stopped in place at the sudden crash in with the Grand Star. Luigi, Danny, and Peter had landed Grand Star first onto the leathery coating of the Comet Observatory.

Luigi sat up in a daze. Lumas gathered around them curiously, poking at them to see if they were alive. Luigi stood up and helped Danny and Peter up. He recognized the place well. He had stayed here when Bowser had once kidnapped the princess, vowing to make her spend ten thousand years with him while he ruled the universe. Mario had foiled that plot but Mario wasn't here this time. A woman in a turquoise dress came up to them with a surprised look on her face followed by a black Luma with blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked them.

"Rosalina?" Luigi said in surprise, "Are we on the Comet Observatory?"

"I don't see how you could be anywhere else," said Rosalina.

"Daddy, who's this?" asked Danny. Luigi explained to Danny and Peter who Rosalina was and what her significance was. Likewise, he introduced his son and nephew.

"What your father just stated is all correct," said Rosalina, "I am the princess of the cosmos, Rosalina. I am very glad I got to meet you children. I see you've found a Grand Star and it brought you here." Luigi nodded.

"Why here though?" asked Peter.

"I don't even know," said Rosalina, "Perhaps it's fate. But anyways, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you very much," said Luigi, "We can use this place as a hub while we look for Bowser."

"Ah, so you seek to destroy the king of evil that rules the universe," said Rosalina, "I'm afraid I don't know where he is, but I know people whose combined knowledge may be able to help you. They live within the many non-hostile galaxies littered across the universe. I can take you to them if you like."

"Of course," said Luigi, "Thank you for your help."

"No problem at all," said Rosalina.

"We'll first set a course to the Bubble Blast Galaxy," said the black Luma named Polari, "In that galaxy there is a professional puzzler who created the galaxy's tricks and traps. Her name is Bubbles."

"I say we rest first," said Peter, "I'm starving."

"Alright then," said Rosalina, "Dinner is almost ready anyways. You may join us in the kitchen's dining hall. Tomorrow we will set out for the Bubble Blast Galaxy." They walked towards the kitchen to eat dinner, unaware of the danger that awaited them out in the galaxy they were headed for.

* * *

**A/N: Bowser has a successful evil clone of Mario now! Bet you didn't see that one coming! And Luigi, Peter, and Danny have finally met up with Rosalina thanks to the Grand Star. Will they encounter Dark Mario? And what dangers await them in the Bubble Blast Galaxy? Super sorry I didn't post this yesterday. I didn't get home until eleven last night so I was exhausted.**

**Dark Mario is the Mario version of Shadow Link, Dark Pit, Shadow the Hedgehog, and many other dark sides of heroes that have appeared in other video games. Bubble Blast Galaxy was one of the three trial galaxies in the first Super Mario Galaxy. You had to float around in bubbles through a dangerous electric maze while collecting Star Chips and avoiding Bullet Bills and Amps and whatever else the maze threw at you.**

**Regarding the Tanya having to do with Dimentio thing… I will say this; they have met before, but on very, **_**very**_**, bad terms.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	26. Bubbles

Chapter 26: Bubbles

The next day, Rosalina set the Comet Observatory on a course towards the Bubble Blast Galaxy. As they were zooming through space, Peter went to the kitchen to learn from the chef Luma how to cook Star Bits and Danny went with Polari on a tour of the observatory while it was in starship form. Luigi looked towards the stars from the Engine Room level, wondering where in the universe Bowser could be. He had Daisy and Mario now. Luigi worried about what he might do to the two of them.

"Do not worry for your family Mage of Thunder," a voice said from beside him. Luigi turned in surprise and saw Tanya standing there. Today she was wearing a dark blue dress with a purple bow tied around her waist.

"I thought you were with Herman," said Luigi.

"Time passes," said Tanya, "Herman is safe with the other Star Cure guardians, or rather former Star Cure guardians. You are on your way to the Bubble Blast Galaxy are you not?"

"Yes," said Luigi, "I need to find somebody there named Bubbles." Tanya remained silent and stared off into space in the direction the observatory was going.

"You must be careful," she said, "Danger awaits there. Not just being suspended in midair, but something far greater that I sense…" She drew the staff she carried around and put the blue diamond tip to the ground. The ground surged with light waves and enveloped them. It was a vision. Luigi was able to see a galaxy with electrical fences hanging in midair and bubbles floating around. There were two whole mazes of electric fences and a planetoid surrounded by bubbles in between them. An airship was flying towards the galaxy. The vision faded and they were back on the Comet Observatory.

"That was a vision of the present," said Tanya, "Bowser's forces are on their way to the galaxy right now. It is a peaceful galaxy that doesn't obey his rules so he is taking it over."

"So Bowser's taking over the galaxies that aren't hostile?" Luigi asked.

"That is correct," said Tanya, "But you cannot go after Bowser at the moment."

"Why is that?" Luigi asked.

"You are not the Mage of Thunder mentioned in the prophecy books just yet," said Tanya, "You still lack two things."

"What two things?" Luigi asked.

"One is total control over your power in any situation," she said.

"And here is the Engine Room," said Polari's voice from around the corner. Danny and Polari would be there any second. Tanya twirled out of existence as Danny and Polari came out of the corner, but Luigi heard her voice whisper, "And two is the staff of Thurius," into his ear. He turned around but she wasn't there.

"Thurius…" Luigi said to himself. Starlow had mentioned that he kept swearing by that name in the Mushroom Kingdom. Maybe…

"Hi daddy!" Danny called from over by the Engine Room, "What are you looking at?" Luigi quickly turned around.

"Oh, it's nothing," he said sheepishly. He walked over to them and suddenly, the starship stopped and returned to its idle form. They were right at the galaxy that Luigi had seen in the vision he and Tanya had just shared. He saw the airship disappear behind the planetoid.

"I need to get over there as quick as possible," said Luigi, "Bowser's attacking the galaxy!"

"What!" Polari cried. The airship was circling the planetoid and firing on it now, destroying some of the bubbles surrounding it.

"Oh no!" Polari cried, "That's where Bubbles resides!"

"Get me over there!" Luigi yelled.

"But you can't breathe in space without the power of a Power Star or…" Luigi pulled his two Power Stars out of his cloak and Polari looked shocked.

"Go! Go! Go!" Polari yelled, "Take the Launch Star down there in the meadow!" Luigi looked down at the meadow directly below the Terrace and jumped as far as he could out to it. He rolled when he hit the ground, surprising a few Lumas, and jumped into the green Launch Star, twirling like Tanya and getting shot towards the galaxy.

* * *

Luigi landed on his feet on a small star shaped planetoid in the middle of the first maze. He looked up to the larger planetoid and saw the second maze on the other side. The problem was obviously just going to be getting up there. He decided it would be best to head down one of the warp pipes, so he took the topmost one and ended up on a small platform at the edge of the maze. A bubble machine had a bubble ready for him.

"Apparently they call it Bubble Blast for a reason," he said to himself. He jumped into the bubble and began to float across the area through the electric fences, which he found that he had the helpful ability to control with his electric powers. A mysterious force was pushing him in whatever way he wanted to go. Eventually, he saw a small triangle shape sparkling in the middle of twirling electric fences. He stopped the electric fences with one half of his will and pushed himself forward with the other half, which seemed to be what controlled the bubble's movement. He grabbed the triangular sparkly thing and floated himself over to what appeared to be a smaller Launch Star. The bubble popped as soon as he hit it but he was inside of it and he spun again, which caused him to be slung back to the star shaped planetoid.

Luigi did the same thing with the other four pipes, controlling bubbles and electric fences while collecting the triangular sparkly things, which he eventually remembered were called Star Chips, until another Launch Star formed in the center of the star planetoid. He jumped inside and spun again and he flew towards the second half of the maze, smashing into the planetoid in the way before he could reach it.

The second he landed, he was almost hit by a cannonball from the airship. He rolled out of the way and it exploded next to him. He saw bubbles in the air all over the planetoid, which were being destroyed by the cannonballs being fired by the airship. Luigi readied an electrical bolt and fired it at the airship but to his surprise, it was veered off course and onto the deck where it hit a very familiar Koopaling's wand.

"Lemmy!" Luigi yelled.

"That's right Luigi the Loser!" Lemmy taunted, "You aren't going to be able to hit me with my new and improved lightning rod wand!" He fired the electricity back at Luigi who quickly reabsorbed it into his hands and then fired it off more powerfully. Lemmy did the same thing with his wand and fired it back with even more power. This ping pong match continued until Luigi pulled out the two Power Stars and supercharged the bolt, sending a large blast of electricity, which Luigi's mind registered at ten thousand volts, straight at the airship. Lemmy's wand wasn't able to catch even half of it and it struck the ship, knocking it to the planetoid where it crashed and went up in flames. Luigi went over to check out the wreckage and saw that the ship was smoldering. He backed up and almost tripped over something. It was what appeared to be a red rock. But then it stood up and looked up at him. Luigi almost fell backwards.

"Hello there," she said, "Who are you? I am Bubbles!" Luigi looked down in shock.

"You're Bubbles?" Luigi asked in disbelief. Bubbles was a small red crab who looked no smarter than a pinhead.

"I suppose my name would make more sense if I did… this!" All of the bubbles floating around the planetoid flew towards her and surrounded her. She floated up into the air with the lightweight of the bubbles, leaving only her face showing.

"There," said Bubbles, "Is that good enough?"

"O-of course," said Luigi in amazement. This crab was smarter than she was letting on.

"I'm Luigi," said Luigi. Before the conversation could continue, a bolt of electricity flew at them from the wreckage. Bubbles floated out of the way and Luigi sidestepped, turning back to the wreckage. Lemmy was charging at them in anger from the flames.

"I'm gonna kill you Luigi!" he yelled. He waved his wand below him and his circus ball appeared at his feet. He waved his wand over it again and it grew larger and larger until he was rolling on an oversized yellow circus ball, just like back home.

"Prepare to die!" Lemmy yelled in fury. He began rolling towards Luigi. Luigi noticed that Bubbles had sent all of her bubbles back to orbiting the planetoid. Luigi somersaulted out of the way of the ball and rolled around behind. He wished he had that hammer right about now… then he saw something growing out of the ground. He reached down and plucked it, examining it closely. He grinned.

"I haven't used one of these in ages," he said with excitement. He squeezed the plant he had plucked and it suddenly disappeared. His body began to react to the action. His hat and shirt changed from green to white, and his overalls became the green of his hat and shirt. Even his cloak changed to white with orange tint running along the bottom.

"Oh yeah!" he said, "This brings back old memories." Lemmy turned around and began rolling towards him again.

"Let's see if that lightning rod of his can resist the power of Shockburn Luigi!" Luigi chuckled to himself, readying a fireball infused with electricity.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has arrived in the Bubble Blast Galaxy and is again facing off against Lemmy Koopa! But this time, he has plucked a Fire Flower and become… Shockburn Luigi? Looks like his electrical powers infused with the power of the Fire Flower he plucked! And Bubbles has turned out to be a crab… with the power to summon bubbles to her body to make herself lighter! Who will be the victor in the battle between Lemmy and Luigi? And who the heck is Thurius?**

**Star Chips and Launch Stars appeared in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel. Bubbles is supposed to look exactly like the bubble type mini-boss in Kirby: Squeak Squad. That mini-boss is literally a crab floating around in bubbles, just like Bubbles. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	27. A Little Info and A Confusing Hint

Chapter 27: A Little Info and A Confusing Hint

Luigi hurled the electric infused fireball at Lemmy's ball. The electricity was not sucked up by Lemmy's wand this time and the fireball flew straight through the circus ball, causing it to deflate and Lemmy to fall to the ground.

"What was that?" he asked in a daze. Luigi aimed another electrical fireball at him and he quickly realized what was going on, rolling out of the way of Luigi's target. He jumped to his feet and fired a few blasts of yellow magic, the kind that could zap its targets. Unfortunately, Lemmy had forgotten that Luigi could absorb electricity into his bare hands and then fire it back. Luigi did just that, adding fire to the equation, and flung the charge back at Lemmy. Lemmy was knocked backwards onto his shell.

"Hey, no fair!" Lemmy cried as he struggled to get up. He couldn't. He was wobbling around in defeat. Luigi readied another fire-electricity ball and walked up over Lemmy threatening to slam it into his face if he didn't shut up.

"What are you doing here?" Luigi asked, "I thought I took care of you back in Sarasaland."

"Dad told us to go invade rebel galaxies!" Lemmy replied in panic, "I didn't want to disobey him so…" Luigi recalled the fireball and pushed Lemmy over on his stomach. Lemmy scrambled to his feet and began trying to run away, but Luigi grabbed him by the collar of his shell.

"You don't have to be evil just because your father is," said Luigi, "You can follow your own path." Lemmy paused to consider the words before deleting them from his mind and pleading.

"Can I go now?" he asked. Luigi let go of his shell and Lemmy swirled the wand around in his hand and he disappeared. Luigi powered down to his normal form automatically. If he was going to become Shockburn Luigi again, he would have to find another Fire Flower. The bubbles had again disappeared from around the planetoid and Luigi turned to see that Bubbles was floating towards him.

"Well done Luigi," said Bubbles through the bubbles that were surrounding her, "I suppose we could continue that little conversation we were having earlier. I believe you need to ask me about something."

"Of course," said Luigi, "I need to know where Bowser is so…" He remembered Tanya's words.

"Scratch that," he said quickly, "I need to know how to fully harness my power and find some sort of staff of Thurius." Bubbles stared at him suspiciously.

"You have met the girl haven't you," she said, "The one whose father… ah, never mind. I can answer only a part of your request. You will find both things that you seek in the same place. That place… well, it's a mystery to me, I'll tell you that. But if you find my friend, the Honey Queen of the Honeyhive Galaxy, she may be able to tell you more."

"You know Tanya?" Luigi asked.

"Of course," said Bubbles, "We all do. All seven of us. But she prefers to be a secretive girl. We don't tell who she really is. But I can give you a hint. There's a reason her eyes are different colors. They represent the fact that fighting is something that doesn't have to occur, and two things can make peace with one another to become one." She looked up at the Comet Observatory.

"I highly suggest you get back there and get ready to head off to your next destination," said Bubbles, "That is the Honeyhive Galaxy of course. But you will need to pass through hostile territory to get there. Rosalina will be able to explain more."

"Thank you very much," said Luigi with a bow even though he didn't understand half of what she had just said about Tanya's eyes.

"Of course," said Bubbles, "Anytime… Mage of Thunder." Luigi gripped the Power Stars inside of his cloak and he felt himself rising up towards the Comet Observatory. He flew away from Bubbles' planetoid and towards the starship above.

* * *

When Luigi landed he saw that most of the Lumas were not around.

"That's strange," he said to himself, "They're usually everywhere." He happened to notice many of the star children above him towards the Engine Room.

"What's going on…" he didn't get to finish his thought because just then, Peter ran up to him.

"Uncle Luigi!" he yelled, "You've got to see this!" Before Luigi could react otherwise, Peter grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the warp panel at the entrance to the Kitchen/Bedroom sector of the Observatory. They were warped all the way up to the Engine Room where there were indeed many Lumas here, apparently all trying to get a look inside the room. Luigi and Peter pushed their way to the front of the crowd and into the small dome, where they found none other than Danny, Polari, and a Gearmo working on the engine in the back of the room.

"This goes here… and that goes… right there!" Danny exclaimed. The engine roared to life. Polari and the Gearmo were watching in awe. Luigi walked up behind his son.

"Danny, what are you doing?" Luigi asked. Danny turned around. He was covered in sweat and oil from working on the engine.

"Just fixing the engine," he said, "It's really easy."

"Your kid's an excellent mechanic!" Polari said with delight, "Shortly after you left, the engine began to break down. We just so happened to be up here already so Danny asked if he could see it. I gave him a few tools and he set to work! And the engine's functioning properly again!" Luigi ruffled his son's hair.

"Danny, why didn't you tell me about this before?" he asked proudly.

"I didn't know I could do it," said Danny, "I just did."

"He's a prodigy at mechanics!" the Gearmo exclaimed, "Oh, by the way, I'm just called Gearmo. Gear-mo. Get it right!"

"O… kay," said Luigi, "So now we can head out to the Honeyhive Galaxy?"

"Ah, so Bubbles must have told you to visit the Honey Queen," said Polari, "Yes, we'll head straight for the galaxy. We'll have to pass through hostile territory though so we'd better be ready."

"And we shall," said Rosalina as she walked into the room, "What did Bubbles say?" Luigi explained that he had instead asked about his powers and where to find the staff of Thurius. Rosalina listened intently.

"I see how it is," said Rosalina, "Perhaps you should tell me your whole story from the beginning down in the library."

"I can help with that!" Peter exclaimed.

"First we'll set a course for Honeyhive, and then we'll talk," said Rosalina. She dismissed all of the Lumas so that only Gearmo, Polari, Danny, Luigi, Peter, and herself were left in the room.

"Polari, please set our course," she said.

"Right away Miss Rosalina!" said Polari, saluting the princess of the cosmos. He quickly rushed out of the room.

"I'll stay here with Gearmo to make sure the engine doesn't break again!" Danny exclaimed.

"Then let's get going," said Luigi, "It's a long story to tell." The three of them left the room as the ship lurched into its comet form, leaving Danny and Gearmo to talk about strange mechanics that nobody else could understand in the engine room of the ship.

* * *

"And that's how we ended up here," Luigi finsished. Rosalina finished writing on the book's page she had opened. Peter continuously kept trying to look over her shoulder to see what she was doing in the book. She seemed to be writing down everything Luigi said.

"You have been through much struggle as I can tell," said Rosalina. Luigi nodded. He had almost not made it through the part where Daisy had been kidnapped without crying. Rosalina shut the book and shelved it.

"I will help you find this staff of Thurius," said Rosalina with a twinkle in her eye, "I have heard of it only in legends. But now that this prophecy girl you mention has said something about it, I know that it must exist." Polari suddenly burst into the room.

"We're entering the hostile territory around the Good Egg Galaxy Miss Rosalina!" he cried, "There are enemy airships everywhere? What shall our action be?" Rosalina stood up.

"Our force fields will be able to hold out for some time, but I fear that it may not be enough," she said, "We're going to need some sort of defense on the starship."

"Build something that runs on electricity and I've got you covered," said Luigi. Peter drew a rocket launcher with his pen and grabbed it in his arms.

"I'm helping too!" said Peter. He left the room to go defend the ship.

"How are we going to build something that runs on electricity in under twenty minutes?" Polari asked, "Because that's how long our force fields will last against this enemy fire!" Luigi thought a moment and then got an idea.

"Get Danny down here and get some parts and tools," said Luigi, "Let's put my son's mechanical skills to the test."

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has received a hint about the staff of Thurius that Tanya mentioned in the last chapter and has discovered that it is in the same place where he will perfect his electrical abilities. And another huge hint about Tanya's identity has been revealed. Apparently Bubbles and the other six knowledgeable people that Rosalina mentioned know Tanya. With that haul of information in tow they are headed to Honeyhive but are in the middle of battle against the hostile forces of the Good Egg Galaxy! **

**Will Danny be able to build something that will be able to take out the Good Egg forces in time? And what information will the Honey Queen have for Luigi in the Honeyhive Galaxy? Shockburn Luigi will have more appearences. I promise.**

**The auto power down for Shockburn Luigi is a reference to the fact that Fire Flowers don't have unlimited time to use in the Super Mario Galaxy series.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	28. A Whole Fleet Destroyed

Chapter 28: A Whole Fleet Destroyed

Within three minutes, Danny was down on the deck of the ship, had been briefed about the situation, and was given the tools he would need to build cannons for the ship. They were able to see just how bad the situation was when they left the library. There were airships _everywhere_ around the ship. The space around them was densely packed with the flying battleships.

Danny seemed to notice the urgency of the situation and began constructing a cannon. Luigi went to help Peter start taking down the airships. Peter's rocket launcher proved handy, as it didn't run out of ammo and it could take down two or three ships at once, but that was nothing compared to the number in the sky. Luigi began bringing lightning down on the airships but even that wasn't enough. Suddenly, Polari came up behind them.

"He's done with the first one!" he cried. Luigi turned and saw that Danny had constructed a fully functional cannon in under five minutes that was firing shells at impressive rates everywhere in its direction. His mouth almost dropped open.

"He's busy making a second one on the eastern side of the ship right now!" Polari exclaimed. Peter just blinked. Luigi gaped over at Danny, who was almost done with the second cannon on the eastern side of the ship. He finished it and disappeared from view, heading towards the fountain dome with the help of the Lumas.

"He's amazing," said Peter, "How does he do it?" Luigi just shook his head in a mixture of amazement and pride and turned back towards their enemies, which were dwindling now that the cannons had been built. The force fields went off after exactly twenty minutes, just as Polari had said, but there were still enemies in the sky and the cannons were firing slower now.

"What do we do now?" Luigi asked as he zapped down another airship. Danny ran up to them, having finished the fourth cannon.

"The electric power cannons are good to go!" he said, saluting Polari for fun.

"That's what we do," said Polari, "Super charge those cannons!" Luigi understood what Polari meant and almost slapped himself in the face for forgetting that it was his idea to make something electric based. He quickly dashed over to the warp panel that would take him up to the engine room again and took it up there. Then he focused his power into the Power Stars and aimed it all down at the cannons. Then he unleashed the power in the form of bolts of lightning.

He was afraid he had used too much but the blast had not only caused the cannons to start firing like crazy, but it also vaporized the airships above the observatory that the cannons couldn't reach, turning them to dust. The cannons took care of the rest easily and soon the observatory was cruising smoothly through the Good Egg Galaxy as though the airships had never existed.

* * *

Luigi and Danny took the time to rest after their little exploit. Luigi hadn't ever unleashed that much electricity before and now he was exhausted. His mind had registered the lightning bolts at almost five hundred thousand volts and now he was about ready to fall asleep from the energy he had used. He wondered how he was going to perfect his electrical powers if he kept getting tired like that. Danny had already fallen asleep on his lap as they sat on the edge of the starship as they flew towards the edge of the Good Egg Galaxy. He was about to drift off himself but a sudden voice woke him up.

"Luigi!" it yelled. Luigi jolted awake and looked around.

"Luigi, the bracelet!" the voice said again. Luigi raised his wrist to his face. He recognized the voice now. It was Daniel's.

"Daniel?" said Luigi, "What's going on?"

"Starlow wanted me to let you know that Bowser's forces have disappeared from the Mushroom Kingdom!" Daniel exclaimed, "And all of the Power Stars our group found went back to normal again!" Luigi remembered what Tanya had said a few weeks before about the land being healed when the Miracle Cure was formed, like a disease was being lifted.

"That's great," said Luigi.

"We've been hearing rumbling sounds from underground though, so I don't know if we're safe yet," said Daniel, "Well, that's what my dad said. He also said to tell you that we have relatives that live in the Bubble Breeze Galaxy and they can help you if you need it."

"Thanks a lot Daniel," said Luigi. He began to worry about the resistance underground and wondered if they were alright. He heard yelling in the background of Daniel's side of the conversation.

"Gotta go!" he said, "Facles is taking roll call! See ya!" The line went dead. Luigi put his arm down. He had noticed that many of the airships in the sky had been heading towards the direction of Earth, where he had come from. He wondered if those airships had been sent by Bowser to invade the Mushroom Kingdom. He hoped not.

"Luigi!" Peter called from the front deck of the starship, "We're going to make a quick detour stop in the Flipswitch Galaxy!"

"Alright!" Luigi called back. He picked up Danny, who was still sound asleep, in his arms. As he walked towards the front deck with his son in his arms, he saw the stars fading away to strange pixelated background. In front of them was a cubicle planetoid with blue flipswitches all over it. Three small planets were orbiting it.

"There it is," said Polari, "That's the Flipswitch Galaxy! We're stopping for a refuel." Luigi said nothing for he saw a shop with a gas station on one of the planetoids that had someone very familiar sitting out in front of it. She was green and had pigtails and wore a snazzy red dress.

"Mimi," Luigi said under his breath as the starship returned to observatory form.

* * *

Kamek rushed towards the throne room in Bowser's Castle. He had urgent and very disappointing news for his king and he wasn't very happy about having to deliver it. He burst into the throne room, ignoring the guards out front and straight into Bowser's presence.

"Your nastiness!" he cried, "The whole fleet was taken out by a starship!"

"WHAT?" Bowser yelled. He breathed fire at Kamek who quickly used a fire proof spell to prevent himself from being burned to death. He was unharmed by the fire.

"I believe that Luigi is aboard that ship," said Kamek. Bowser lied back in his chair and sighed.

"So I've heard from Lemmy," said Bowser, "This guy is stronger than we expected. Well anyways, get another fleet out there and this time avoid that starship!"

"Yes sir," said Kamek, "But how will we defeat them when the time comes?" Dark Mario walked into the room.

"I've moved my doppleganger to the deeper prison as you have commanded Master Bowser," he said with a salute.

"Very well done Dark Mario," said Bowser. He got an idea.

"Say, why don't you go with Morton and invade the Honeyhive Galaxy with him?" Bowser asked, "It would be good to see if your skills are as real as Mario's."

"Of course," said Dark Mario, "I will not disappoint you." He quickly rushed out of the room. Kamek looked up at Bowser again.

"So he is really half of Mario?" he asked for about the fifth time. Bowser seemed to not care how many times he asked because Kamek liked to have things confirmed absolutely.

"According to Reuben, yes," said Bowser, "Dark Mario possesses half of Mario's soul. If the two were ever to come in direct contact with each other, the clone would be absorbed back into the original's body. Those were his exact words."

"You remember things well your greatness," said Kamek, "I shall go ready another fleet. Broque Madame awaits reinforcements so the underground resistance can be crushed."

"Send that fleet to her," said Bowser, "And find that galaxy we are looking for."

"Yes sir!" said Kamek as he quickly flew out of the room on his broom. Bowser narrowed his eyes at his prisoners at his sides. He had moved Mario to the deepest prison because he couldn't stand the sight of the unconscious plumber anymore. He hated Mario deeply ever since the plumber had shown up in the Mushroom Kingdom with his brother. He had finally thought that maybe if he could take Mario captive, he wouldn't be able to be resisted by anybody, not even Mario's twin brother, even though he had lost to Luigi himself once. Sure enough, he had taken the kingdom with ease and then taken the power of the Power Stars to further take over the universe and nobody tried to stop them. But now Luigi was back and much stronger than he had been.

He continued glare at his prisoners. They were all once important figures of the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland. In the right side cells were Peach in the first, the Toad Brigade Captain, his wife, their baby who Bowser hadn't bothered to take from them in the second, and the most recent arrival, Daisy in the third. On the other side of him was the rest of the Toad Brigade cramped into one cell, Toadbert's cell, and an old inventor whose name Bowser never bothered to remember in the third cell. The cell that had been Toadsworth's before he died and a cell Bowser had reserved for Luigi were on either side at the end of the room by the door.

"If that plumber ever shows his face here…" Bowser said to himself in a silent threat towards his current number one enemy.

* * *

Dark Mario knocked on the door of the Koopalings' room. Nobody answered. He knocked harder and then Ludwig answered the door.

"What do want?" he asked. Before Dark Mario could respond, Ludwig spoke again.

"I'm the only one here so if you're looking for anybody they'll probably be at the airship docks," he said. Dark Mario nodded in thanks and then ran off towards the docks, only to run into the person he was looking for in the process.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Morton yelled as he turned around, "Oh, it's you. Can I call you Darky? Or do you prefer Anti-Mario or something like that?"

"I prefer to be called by Dark Mario," said Dark Mario in annoyance, "Your father has asked me to go with you to invade Honeyhive."

"Oh yeah!" said Morton, "Sure, you can come along." He grabbed Dark Mario's arm and began dragging him down the corridor to the airship docks.

"We're actually going in a small surgical strike," Morton explained, "It's called an assassin squad. Dad hopes that it will help pick off that idiot plumber who's coming after us. You know, that guy turned out to be a real pain. He…" Dark Mario tried to block out Morton's talkativeness as they walked towards the airship docks. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

**A/N: Our heroes on the Comet Observatory have stopped in Flipswitch for refreshments and gas! After all, what's a road (Or space) trip without refreshments and gas stations? :) But Luigi has recognized Mimi, the shapeshifting girl from Super Paper Mario. And Dark Mario and Morton are on their way to Honeyhive with an assassin mission to get rid of Luigi when he shows up. What will happen in Honeyhive? Will Morton and Dark Mario succeed in their mission? What galaxy is Bowser looking for? And who else now lives in Flipswitch besides Mimi? **

**Sparklespepper mentioned that Mr. L is a skilled mechanic, just like Danny is, and Danny's father is Luigi, Mr. L's alter ego! I didn't even notice! The Toad Brigade appeared in both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 as sort of a help group for Mario alongside the Lumas. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo. **


	29. The Paper Gang Gas Station

Chapter 29: The Paper Gang Gas Station

Rosalina docked the Comet Observatory near the largest of the small planetoids which seemed to have a small gas station on it. The name of the station was Flipswitch Gas and Market and there was a caption underneath it that appeared to be slogan. It read, "We fuel your ships if you flip the switch!"

"Wow, you don't see those every day," said Peter as he walked up to Luigi's side. Luigi was transfixed on the people that were either inside or outside the station on the planetoid. Mimi, the shapeshifter who had once worked under Count Bleck/Blumiere, was sitting on a chair outside the station. From the looks of it, she had grown up during the ten years that Bowser had ruled, and now looked more like a teenager. Luigi could make out the shape of a large figure inside the shop behind the counter and decided that if Mimi were here, it must be the heavyweight O' Chunks, also a former minion of the Count. Luigi saw a third person inside the shop, who seemed to be a small young woman. He couldn't make out who it was from the distance.

Rosalina gestured for them to come off of the ship and they did so. Danny woke up just as they were getting off at the small planetoid. Mimi stood up and walked over to them as they jumped off the ship.

"Well, if it isn't Rosalina," said Mimi, "And…" She frowned slightly at the sight of Luigi but then put a smile back on her face.

"So are you here to refuel?" she asked.

"Yes," said Rosalina, "What is your switch puzzle this time?"

"Switch puzzle?" Luigi inquired. Mimi looked at him like he didn't know anything.

"Yes, that's our form of payment around here," said Mimi, "We have our customers solve switch puzzles." Luigi stared at her blankly. Peter and Danny went inside to get some of those travel packs of miniature donuts.

"You see Luigi," said Rosalina, "This galaxy is chock full of switch puzzles, and the 'Paper Gang' as they call themselves, has made it their goal to solve all of them and unlock every secret to this galaxy." Mimi nodded.

"Unfortunately, thanks to that idiot Bowser kidnapping our boss, we haven't been able to figure them out," said Mimi, "He was great at these puzzles and we earned enough coins from them to start our own gas station. Rosalina's only had to visit once because she's got this… enormous starship. But she has skill that matches our boss's own!" The young woman who Luigi had seen inside the shop walked out to see what the holdup was. It was Nastasia. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Luigi.

"What is he doing here?" she asked.

"He is on his way to annihilate Bowser and free the universe from his reign," said Rosalina, "You appear to know who he is."

"Of course we know who he is!" Nastasia exclaimed.

"Yeah," said Mimi with a smirk, "He…" Nastasia shot a deadly glare at Mimi. Mimi shut her mouth. Luigi seemed confused.

"I apologize," said Nastasia, "We try to keep things from those who don't need to know them." Mimi rolled her eyes.

"So," said Nastasia, "We have just the puzzle for you Rosalina." She pointed out beyond the next small planetoid where there was a faint view of some blue switches, arranged in a triangular pyramid fashion.

"Just that one 'K?" said Nastasia.

"Of course," said Rosalina.

"Mimi, be a dear and get the Launch Star for our customer," said Nastasia. Mimi smiled as though she had been rehearsing it.

"Okay!" she said. She ran inside the shop just as Peter and Danny were walking out. She managed to squeeze through the two of them and ran towards the back of the shop. Danny ran up to his father.

"Look what I got!" he said excitedly. He waved a wrench of some sort in the air around him. Peter carried a bag with a few packs of mini donuts. Mimi raced back outside with a crystalized Launch Star in hand. She smashed the crystal with a hammer and the Launch Star popped out at full size. Rosalina set herself up and then the Launch Star fired her into space towards the flipswitch planetoid.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, why not come inside and enjoy some coffee?" Nastasia asked.

"Alright," said Luigi. He told Peter to take Danny back on the ship with their stuff that they had bought, then he followed Nastasia and Mimi inside. Sure enough, it was O' Chunks behind the counter. There was typical market music playing softly from the speakers on the ceiling.

"When did 'e show up?" O' Chunks asked as they walked in.

"He showed up with Rosalina," Nastasia replied, "Mind making some coffee for us?"

"Sure thing!" O' Chunks exclaimed. He turned around to the coffee maker and began his work as Nastasia gestured for him to sit down at the table.

"So, you are after the defeat of Bowser?" asked Nastasia.

"Of course," said Luigi, "My brother and wife are being held captive by him. I have to save them."

"So it's not just about defeating him then," said Mimi.

"It goes both ways," said Luigi.

"It goes many ways," said Nastasia, "We are also against Bowser, but for our own reasons. We are helping a friend find her parents while she in turn is helping us find our boss. Both were taken by Bowser and so we are against him."

"How far must that Koopa go?" Luigi asked aloud.

"He's gone pretty far already!" Mimi exclaimed, "And he seemed like such a nice guy the last time we met him."

"That was one of those rare times where he wasn't able to be the bad guy because another bad guy was stealing his spotlight," said Luigi, "How is it that you have evaded Bowser's attention?"

"This is just one of those galaxies that he just luckily overlooked because it was so small," Nastasia replied, "We call them freedom galaxies and…" Before their conversation could continue, O' Chunks set the three coffees down on the table.

"Hot steamin' cups right there!" said O' Chunks, "Blow 'em before ya drink!" He returned to the counter and the phone on the back wall suddenly rang. O' Chunks answered it and suddenly, his eyes went wide. He covered the phone with his hand and yelled out, "It's the girl!" Nastasia almost dropped her cup. Mimi looked over in surprise.

"It's about time," said Nastasia, "We'd lost contact with her for a while." She quickly got up from the table and Mimi followed her action so as to get over to the phone and hear the conversation. O' Chunks almost put it on speaker but Nastasia stopped him, pointing a finger at Luigi. Luigi assumed that this was a private conversation. He took another sip of coffee while trying to disregard the conversation that Nastasia, O' Chunks, and Mimi were having behind him, when suddenly, he saw a flash behind one of the shelves. To his surprise, Tanya poked her head out from behind it with a cell phone held up to her ear. She seemed to be whispering into the phone and Luigi watched her. Then she suddenly hung up.

"Well, I thought I saw the Comet Observatory headed this way," she said out loud, "How surprising." The three people who had been talking on the phone turned around and gasped.

"It's Tanya!" they all three yelled at once. Luigi was surprised until he figured that Tanya must have been the girl they had the deal with. He was now surprised that she would make a deal with a group such as this. Tanya put a hand up to keep them from running towards her so that they wouldn't try to run over Luigi trying to get over to her.

"Yes, I am here," she said, "I see that Luigi has arrived here also." Nastasia looked back and forth between the two of them.

"You know Tanya?" she asked. Luigi explained his story once again so that the three members of the Paper Gang would understand.

"Oh, I see," said Nastasia, "So you're the Mage of Thunder that she's been trying to convince us exists. Well, I'd like to see you try to prove it." Luigi put his hands together and then pulled them apart, summoning a ball of packed electricity and then vaporizing it just as fast. The Paper Gang looked at him in awe.

"Luigi is not quite yet the Mage of Thunder," said Tanya, "He still must do the two things he has mentioned in his story."

"But the staff is legendary!" Mimi cried, "There's no way he could find it!"

"Only the true Mage of Thunder can find the staff of Thurius," Tanya countered, "And through it become the Mage of Thunder." Luigi wondered if Tanya had given the Paper Gang all of this information about the prophecy. He also wondered why she would do that. He thought that she would only give the information to someone she really trusted, but he disregarded that thought for the moment.

"So what is so urgent that brings you here?" said Nastasia.

"I have already said it," said Tanya, "I have been following the trail of the Comet Observatory because that is the ship Luigi has been travelling on. They happened to stop here so I decided I'd drop by." The conversation between the Paper Gang and Tanya continued until some very important information crossed between them.

"Any sign of them?" Nastasia asked. Tanya stared at Nastasia coldly.

"No," she said, "Nothing at all. I have not been able to locate where they are."

"You are lying," said Nastasia, "I can tell."

"Don't lie to us Tanya," said Mimi kindly, "We have a deal remember?"

"Fine then," Tanya said with sudden anger, "I do know where they are in accordance to the prophecy but you must not go after them! Their rescue is not recorded within the prophecy books; therefore, they cannot be saved!" Nastasia backed into O' Chunks at Tanya's sudden outburst. Luigi was surprised. He hadn't seen Tanya angry before.

"Just because my father is on good terms with you doesn't mean I have to be!" she said angrily, "I cannot give you the location of the ones we seek or something bad may very well happen. You cannot defy a prophecy." Nastasia bowed her head.

"I apologize Miss Tanya," said Nastasia, "I didn't mean to get you so angry."

"My bad!" Mimi spoke up in realization.

"What's with the sudden formality?" Luigi asked, "Before you were just calling her by her name."

"I insist that I have always called her…" Rosalina suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I'm done," she said. She was sweating only slightly and Nastasia looked out to the planetoid of switches in the distance. It was green now.

"Excellent!" said Nastasia with a complete mood change, "O' Chunks, prepare the fueling tanks!"

"Yes ma'am!" he said with a salute. He dashed out of the shop to begin fueling the ship. Tanya took one last look at Mimi, Nastasia, and Luigi before twirling and vanishing.

"We shall leave as soon as the ship is refueled," said Rosalina, "Then it'll be a few years before we need to come back here." Nastasia bowed again.

"We thank you for your business," she said. Rosalina bowed in kind.

"It is an honor," she said. She gestured for Luigi to follow her out of the market. They both boarded the Comet Observatory outside via the light bridge that Polari had created for them to get on and off of the planet. Luigi saw that O' Chunks was already taking the pump out of the observatory's underside where all of the fuel was stored until it was transported up to the Engine Room.

"All full!" he called as they got onto the ship. Rosalina nodded and waved down at O' Chunks, Mimi, and Nastasia who were all outside now. Then she waved the wand in her hand and the Comet Observatory transformed into the starship it was and blasted off, leaving a very interesting bunch of people behind and heading to the Honeyhive Galaxy.

* * *

**A/N: After refueling in Flipswitch, the first freedom galaxy, and meeting a familiar bunch of people, our heroes are finally off to Honeyhive. What will they find when they get there? What kind of info will they receive from the Honey Queen on the subject of Luigi's two goals in space? And the question remains (to most of you), who is Tanya? Yes, that's right, two people have already figured out who Tanya is exactly. Which two, I will not say but I will say that two people have guessed correctly.**

**Many of you probably know that Nastasia, Mimi, and O' Chunks all appeared as minions to Count Bleck in Super Paper Mario. Bet nobody expected them to be running a gas station in the middle of space! Just to be clear, this is not a Paper Mario story and they are in three dimensions. The Paper Gang is just a title.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	30. Four Shall Leave, Four Shall Die

Chapter 30: "Four Shall Leave, Four Shall Die"

Within the next few hours, Honeyhive was in view and it didn't look pretty. There was honey all over the place, from the cliffs to hanging from the trees, and it appeared that somebody had ransacked the place.

"What the heck happened there?" Luigi asked Rosalina. Rosalina just shook her head.

"I didn't think the bees were this messy," she said. As they drew closer, a black flag caught Luigi's eye. It had Bowser's symbol emblazoned on it in solid red.

"Well that explains everything," said Luigi as he pointed out Bowser's flag, "Can you get us in close?"

"This is as far as we go," Rosalina informed him. Peter ran up behind them, pen in hand.

"I'm going this time!" he exclaimed.

"Where's Danny?" Luigi asked.

"He's making modifications to the cannons since he had to build them on such short notice," said Peter, gesturing towards the west side of the ship. Danny seemed to be using his wrench to tighten screws. Suddenly, an explosion shook the large planet below them and smoke rose on its surface.

"Uh-oh," said Luigi, "That can't be good."

"Let's hurry!" Peter exclaimed. Rosalina waved her wand over the gap that was between Honeyhive and the Comet Observatory. A light bridge not unlike the one in Flipswitch appeared and stabilized so they could walk across it. Or rather, run across it.

The planet looked a lot messier up close. There was honey everywhere and trees were knocked over all over the place, blocking paths and creating new ones. Peter drew a chain saw and cut a tree in their way in half so that they could pass through. Then they encountered their first bee, beaten and battered on the ground. Luigi bent down to speak to it.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"Bowser's minions…" the bee gasped, "They came… and… and took over the galaxy… You must help us…"

"Gee, that's very helpful," said Peter sarcastically, "Can you tell us what you mean by minions?"

"A dark one… and a dual colored…" the bee fainted. Luigi stood up and another explosion occurred on the cliff above them. He pulled is hood on to avoid being hit by the falling dirt and saw that Peter had drawn an umbrella. When the air cleared, they dashed on towards that cliff. Luigi charged a ball of electricity while Peter drew the staff he usually used just as they were jumping onto the cliff only to come face to face with Morton Koopa Jr. and… Mario?

Luigi almost lost his focus but fired the electricity at Morton before he could. Morton dove into his shell and spun to the side while Peter dropped the staff and it disappeared. He almost ran forward but Luigi put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. This wasn't Mario. He was wearing darker clothing and looked ready to fight them and on top of that, he had brown eyes. Morton burst out of his shell and began yelling at them nonstop.

"You idiots again!" he yelled, "I oughtta smack you into next week for making a fool out of me! But I think I'll let Darky here do that! He's Mario's evil clone and…" He went on to explain Dark Mario's whole existence and what had happened since the battle in Sarasaland. Then he began to change the subject to how much he hated Luigi for embarrassing him and finished up with some surprising news that Lemmy still had not returned to Bowser's Castle. Luigi cut him off right there.

"Did you say that Lemmy didn't go back to Bowser's Castle?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course he didn't!" said Morton, "We lost contact with him after he was sent out to take you down in Bubble Blast." Morton suddenly looked at him suspiciously. "You didn't… kill him did you?" he asked nervously.

"Of course not!" Luigi cried, "I let him go and then he warped somewhere!" Morton looked confused now.

"Morton, shouldn't we be attacking them?" Dark Mario asked in annoyance at his current partner's dumb antics.

"Oh right!" Morton exclaimed, "I knew that! Alright you guys! Attack!" A small group of Hammer and Boomerang Bros popped out from below the cliff and surrounded the two of them. Peter looked reluctant to fight and drew his staff again. Luigi fiercely readied his powers, ready to zap anybody who came at them.

Dark Mario suddenly charged forward and tried to knock Peter over but Peter blocked him with the staff. Luigi kicked Dark Mario in the side and the Mario doppleganger fell over. Luigi set his sights on Morton and sent a surge of electricity into the ground, aiming it at Morton. Some of the boomerangs from the Boomerang Bros flew at him but he reversed the magnetic field and caused everything to float up into the air.

Peter in the meantime was trying to keep up with Dark Mario's strikes and having trouble at that with all of the hammers flying at him. He spun his staff around and jabbed Dark Mario in the stomach with it. He then focused on taking out some of the Bros that were surrounding them and trying to hit them. Luigi was busy knocking the Boomerang Bros right into Morton and then zapping them. Morton was unconscious by now but Dark Mario was still up and running as they floated around in midair.

"Get on top of him!" Luigi suddenly cried out. Peter jumped on the air over Dark Mario who looked up at his opponent. That was a mistake as Luigi suddenly switched the magnetic field back to normal. Peter fell right on top of Dark Mario who slammed into the ground with Peter on top of him. Peter stepped off and took out the rest of the Bros with a quick swing of his staff, knocking them over the edge of the planet. He breathed hard as he looked down at Dark Mario. Luigi walked over to him.

"That isn't your father or my brother," said Luigi, "I can't believe Bowser would make a clone of him!" Peter almost started crying but he was interrupted by an explosion behind them that knocked them over. Morton had gotten back up and he had his bombs out.

"I am going to kill both of you," he said in calm anger, "I am going to kill… BOTH OF YOU!" He threw the bombs at them but Luigi jumped up and kicked them away over the edge of the planet. Morton began flinging bombs wildly but Peter batted them away with the staff he was still using until one of them hit Morton straight in the face and exploded, knocking Morton over the edge of the cliff and down into the void below. His cry rang out.

"AUUUUGGGGGHHHH!" Then all was silent.

Luigi and Peter rushed over to see what had happened to the Koopaling. They saw nothing but a void below them. They looked at each other in shock. Could Morton really have…? Their thoughts were interrupted by stomping behind them. It was Dark Mario marching himself over to them with fury in his eyes. He looked Luigi straight in the eye and said plainly, "Race. You…" he pointed at Luigi to specify, "And me."

The air around the Gusty Gardens Galaxy was cool, crisp, and silent… all except for one bit of crying. The cubicle planet in the northern sector of the galaxy was the source of the crying, or rather, the source was Lemmy Koopa. He sat crying in the hole going through the center of the cube helplessly. He had failed to take down Luigi for his father and now he was doing the only thing he could think of doing; that being run away.

He had brought only the necessities; his circus ball, some food and water, and a Power Star that he had stolen from his father's vault so he could breathe in space. He had left his wand, which had a tracking device within it, behind, dropping it in the Bonefin Galaxy's waters where it would be destroyed by the bone fish, but he had only been out alone for one day before he got homesick. He missed the castle, his brothers and sisters, including Shelly whom he, and all of the other Koopalings aside from Iggy for that matter, hated, and even his own father who always bossed him around.

He was so busy sobbing he didn't even notice a flash at the end of the tunnel. It was Tanya and she walked right into his hiding spot.

"Why are you crying?" she asked. Lemmy turned startled.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked in surprise.

"What matters more is who you are," said Tanya, "You are crying here because you feel like a failure do you not?"

"Yeah," said Lemmy through his tears. Suddenly, he perked up. "Wait, how did you know that?"

"I am one who reads prophecies," said Tanya, "Four shall leave, four shall die, and one shall share his father's grave. That is what the prophecy says." Lemmy blinked in confusion.

"Can you repeat that in English?" he asked.

"I have said it in the language you request," she said, "If you would like, flee and be your own person, but if you would also like, return to your father's side and follow him. It is your life… and your decision." Luigi's words rang back in Lemmy's mind.

"_Just because your father is evil, doesn't mean you have to be,_" Luigi had said. He was silent for a few moments.

"Are you telling me I should just flee my family and go on with my life?" Lemmy asked.

"If you would like," said Tanya, "As I said before, it is your decision." She twirled around and vanished into thin air leaving Lemmy to his decision. Lemmy looked around the tunnel that he had been staying in for the past two days. Then he got up, grabbed his stuff, and left the tunnel. He was getting out of there to find what he was destined for.

**A/N: The heroes are in Honeyhive and are finally facing off against Dark Mario… in a race! Tanya has finally mentioned in the prophecy that some people are going to die! Dun-dun-dun! Who are those mentioned in the prophecy? What happened to Morton? Why is Dark Mario requesting a race against Luigi? And who will be the victor of said race? I will be out of town this weekend and therefore will not be able to update the story. I will see you all Monday!**

**This race references the Power Star race against Cosmic Mario in Super Mario Galaxy. Luigi and Dark Mario are going to have the same race, but with a lot more obstacles in the way. **

**By the way, five people have guessed Tanya's identity correctly now. I gave a pretty darn big hint in the last chapter didn't I? But let me clarify first… she is not Merlon's daughter! Responding to a guest review, I do not use deviantart nor do I go on it so I had no clue that somebody had used the name Peter in a family tree of Mario and Peach. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, places, ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	31. A Most Sticky Situation

Chapter 31: A Most Sticky Situation

The grounds for the race that Dark Mario had demanded had been set within the hour, during which a temporary truce was called. Peter constantly was staring down Dark Mario from the side, still wondering why Bowser would make a clone of Mario. Probably just to have someone at equals to Luigi. But Morton had said that Mario's soul had been split into two. So maybe…

"Racers, take your places!" the bee who had volunteered to judge cried. Luigi and Dark Mario were already glaring each other down at the starting line. They prepared to dash forward onto the track.

"3… 2… 1… Go!" the bee yelled. The two opponents dashed forwards and began to run down the set path towards the cliff where they had first fought. Dark Mario tried to nudge Luigi into a fallen tree that was covering half of the path but Luigi jumped it and they turned to the left and raced right into honey on the ground.

Immediately, the two of them were stuck in the honey and almost unable to move except for a few inches every ten seconds. Eventually, Luigi got tired of the slowness and zapped the honey at his feet, which immediately vaporized and revealed the grass below him. Then he jumped as far as he could outwards and landed on the other side of the honey on the ground.

There were quite a few more patches of honey along the path but Luigi jumped all of them and ended up below a high cliff with a waterfall coming down on it. Luigi looked around for means to get up to the cliff but couldn't find anything within view. Dark Mario was on his way now and running as fast as he could. He jumped over Luigi's head, kicked the wall to gain height, and grabbed the edge of the cliff above him.

Luigi realized Dark Mario's logic and also jumped off of the wall to grab the cliff edge. When he pulled himself up, Dark Mario was already trying to get up the next cliff, which was coated in honey. Luigi couldn't believe that Dark Mario couldn't figure it out. He quickly jumped up and grabbed the honey, which stuck to his palms, but not too much that he couldn't move his hands further up. He pushed his feet against the wall and began climbing the honey Dark Mario followed his example, trying to keep up with him.

Luigi pulled himself up first and found that he couldn't run or walk as fast as he had before. The honey on his hands and feet was slowing him down. He did the only thing he could think of; zap himself. It hurt only a little and the honey was vaporized by the intense heat of the electricity. Luigi dashed through the tunnel as Dark Mario pulled himself up at its beginning. Luigi didn't notice the honey dripping from the ceiling above him until a glob came down and hit him in the back, knocking and sticking him to the ground. Dark Mario caught up to him but had the same thing happen to him.

Now they were both stuck. Luigi tried to electrocute the honey around him to no avail while Dark Mario simply tried to lick it off, which seemed to have better results. Luigi started to lick off the sweet honey as well until his hands were free so that he could electrocute the honey. Unfortunately, he unleashed too much and got rid of the honey ensnaring Dark Mario. He quickly stumbled to his feet before Dark Mario could and continued down the corridor until he reached the holed stump at the end which he jumped into quickly.

He heard Dark Mario falling through the air behind him as he slid down the slippery slope towards the lower half of the planet. He almost ran into a fallen tree at the bottom but he used the momentum from his slide to push himself off of the slope and over the tree. He heard Dark Mario do the same behind him as he landed on his feet and suddenly, something knocked him to the ground. Dark Mario had landed right on top of him and was now ahead. Luigi scrambled to his feet and dashed after his opponent.

Dark Mario was trying to backflip up to the next ledge up but just as he was getting some air, Luigi jumped on top of him and used his jump to reach the ledge. Then he saw what might have been the messiest part of the galaxy yet. The ledges in front of him were coated in honey and had gnarled trees sticking out of the honey all over the place, including from the sides of the ledges. Dark Mario jumped up and pushed Luigi over angrily, but Luigi kept his balance and caught Dark Mario's arm and pushed him aside.

Then he made a mad dash for the ledges in front of him and jumped onto the nearest tree sticking from the side of the planet. The finish line was on the other side, where Peter and the judge bee were waiting nervously. Luigi pushed himself off of the first tree and onto the second one, landing on the points of two branches. Dark Mario had jumped off of the wall on the right side of the area and landed on the tree in front of Luigi somehow. Luigi cracked the tree Dark Mario was standing on in half with a bolt of electricity and then jumped off of his opponent's head to the next one.

Dark Mario landed in the honey and was now furious. He pulled himself up using the fallen tree and began jumping towards the finish, though he knew he had already lost. Luigi was already at the finish. Dark Mario glared in hatred at his opponent.

"I will get better," he vowed to himself, "I will be better than both my clone and you!" He pressed a button on the remote that he had kept in his pocket during the raid and the airship came up next to the series of ledges. He jumped onto it and glared at Luigi one last time before flying off.

"Well done!" the bee exclaimed, "You must see our queen! You did after all save us from those terrible Koopas and dark guy." Luigi had almost forgotten the whole reason they had come to this galaxy in the first place. They had to see the Honey Queen so they could get more information on where they needed to go. The bee waved his hand over the honey covered ledge behind them and a Launch Star appeared.

"This star will take you directly to our queen," said the bee. Luigi took Peter's hand and jumped over the honey and into the Launch Star. They both spun at the same time and flew off towards the planet in the distance.

* * *

The Honey Queen was waiting for them. Somehow her planet hadn't been touched by Bowser's minions but she had been aware of the invasion.

"Welcome humans," said the Honey Queen in a thick British accent, "I saw the Comet Observatory in the distance and I figured Rosalina had come to our aid. Looks like she sent some of her friends, hm?"

"Yes ma'am," said Peter, "My uncle needs to ask you a few questions."

"Just one actually," said Luigi. Before he could say it, the Honey Queen answered.

"I have heard from Bubbles and Rosalina," said the Honey Queen, "You wish to know where you must go correct?"

"That's right," said Luigi.

"Hm… well, this is all of the information I can give you," she said, "Where light is scarce is the location you seek." Luigi quickly memorized the hint the Honey Queen had given.

"Thank you ma'am," said Luigi, "We appreciate your help."

"No problem at all," said the Honey Queen. The Comet Observatory suddenly came around from the other side of the planet and a light bridge appeared from it leading to the Honey Queen's planet.

"Oh, it appears that Rosalina is getting impatient," said the Honey Queen, "That is rather uncommon for her but it happens." Luigi and Peter jumped down from the large leaf they had been standing on and down to the ground below. Peter went on ahead to the light bridge but as Luigi followed, he remembered something and turned back to the Honey Queen.

"Excuse me," said Luigi.

"Yes?" asked the Honey Queen.

"Could anyone survive a fall into that void over there?" asked Luigi.

"I'm afraid not," said the Honey Queen, "There are black holes under that planetoid. Those who fall off are never heard from again; ever." Luigi said nothing more and walked up the light bridge after Peter with nothing on his mind but the death of a certain Koopaling.

* * *

As the airship docked in the docks at Bowser's castle, Dark Mario began to think of what he would tell Bowser about Morton. He was sure that Morton was gone; that void had been endless and there were black holes below the planet. But how was he going to explain that to the kid's father? As he hurried down the hallways of Castle Koopa, he ran straight into Hambro.

"Whoa dude! Watch where you're going!" Hambro cried.

"Sorry," said Dark Mario, "It's kind of hard to watch where you're going when you're about to tell your boss that his kid is gone."

"Wait, what?" said Hambro. Dark Mario explained to Hambro what had happened in Honeyhive. Hambro's eyes went wide and then shut tight. Dark Mario thought he saw a tear roll down the Hammer Bro's cheek.

"Morton… he was my best friend," said Hambro. They were silent for a few moments and got a few stares from passing minions. Hambro opened his eyes.

"I'll go with you… to tell Bowser," said Hambro, "He's going to be pissed. Lemmy went AWOL and now this."

"Lemmy's gone?" Dark Mario asked in surprise, "I thought Bowser heard from him…"

"After his mission to Bubble Blast? We lost his signal right after that info got through," said Hambro, "His wand is off the map." They began to walk towards the throne room. Dark Mario suddenly remembered that Morton had said something about Lemmy being missing at Honeyhive but he hadn't really believed it until now. He put Morton out of his mind. He didn't want to think about a dead man.

"You ready?" Hambro asked as they walked up to the doors of the throne room. Dark Mario said nothing.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Hambro nervously as he pushed open the doors.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has received the second bit of information about where he needs to go to perfect his powers and also has learned that Morton has about a zero percent chance of being alive. Poor Morton… Where will Luigi's journey take him next? Where did Lemmy go from Gusty Gardens? And who is the next person who knows where Luigi needs to go to perfect his powers? **

**Six people have Tanya's identity correct. I'm thinking of revealing it at the end of the story if at least ten people are correct by then.**

**As stated in the previous chapter, the path that Dark Mario and Luigi take is exactly the same as the race path in Super Mario Galaxy in the first Cosmic Mario race. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	32. Visit from a Dead Man

Chapter 32: Visit from a Dead Man

It was just as Hambro had predicted. Bowser was pissed off at the news of Morton's death. He almost burned the two of them up right on the spot but he held it in. Then he buried his face in his hands.

"Why must everything we do always fail?" he asked himself. At first it seemed that he was just embarrassed but there were hints that he was crying under those hands. Dark Mario looked over at Hambro.

"Has he ever shown emotion?" he asked.

"I have no idea," said Hambro. Bowser looked up at them, his glare with pure hatred.

"Send Ludwig out!" Bowser screamed, "Find and destroy them! They will pay for what they have done!"

"King Bowser, Ludwig is already out in the universe investigating the damage done to Good Egg," said Hambro.

"I don't give a freaking rip!" Bowser yelled, "Get him after those idiots before I torch somebody!" Hambro saluted and he ran out of the room, followed by Dark Mario. Bowser buried his face in his hands again. He'd lost two of his children in the last two days. Lemmy had vanished into thin air and Morton had fallen into the black hole below Honeyhive. He couldn't believe he was crying right now, especially in front of his prisoners but he had hidden his care for his children for so long he didn't realized what might happen if he ever lost any of them. But he blamed it all on that no good green clad plumber because he was the only one to blame; Bowser was sure of it.

"I am going to kill that no good idiot if it's the last thing I do!" he said to himself through gritted teeth.

* * *

The Comet Observatory was cruising in backtrack. Polari had said that the next person they needed to meet was none other than King Kaliente, the ruler of the Good Egg Galaxy which they had passed through just days before. Luigi didn't understand why they didn't just go to Kaliente beforehand but he decided not to argue it, thinking that there must be a good reason.

Good Egg wasn't very far from Honeyhive; just a short two thousand mile trip. They were there within a day's time, which was on record according to Rosalina. Danny had perked up the engine with Geramo's help so that the Comet Observatory could move even faster in starship mode and was still working to make it even faster. Unfortunately, as soon as Good Egg came into view, they saw a swarm of airships again.

"Great, it looks like the saying that evil never rests is true," said Luigi to himself as they began to approach the galaxy. As they moved in closer, he was able to see who was on the ships. At the head of the largest airship was none other than Ludwig Von Koopa, who was staring at the Comet Observatory in hatred. Danny jumped down onto the deck from the awning that led down from the Engine Room and landed next to his dad.

"We need some electricity to take these guys down with the cannons," said Danny.

"My pleasure," said Luigi, ruffling his son's hair. He ran over to the warp pad in the Kitchen/Bedroom area and floated up to the Engine Room where he rushed inside. Gearmo saw him come in and quickly left the room. Luigi focused his energy through the Power Stars and unleashed it in the form of an electric blast, not quite as big as the one he had used a few days before, but still pretty big. The electrical devices that controlled the cannons were immediately charged up and Luigi rushed out of the room to see how the battle was going so far.

Ludwig had already begun to fire back. Despite having many more cannons than the Comet Observatory's eight (Danny had built four more), they were no match for the cannons of the heroes. Their cannon balls moved slower than the ones from the Comet Observatory and the ones of the Observatory did more damage as they were actually coated in electricity.

Luigi again focused his energy into bolts of electricity that he fired down on Ludwig's armada. He then supercharged the Engine Room so that the cannons would keep firing and jumped down to the deck. Peter had drawn his long ranged weapon, his bazooka, and was firing on the airships and knocking them down into space.

Eventually, the armada was reduced in size drastically and the Comet Observatory was already beginning to celebrate a victory until Luigi saw something shimmering between the two parties. He saw Ludwig call off his troops so apparently he was able to make out whatever figure was floating and shimmering between them. Luigi retook all of the electricity that ran the cannons when he recognized the figure. It was Morton.

"Well, I can't believe that actually worked," Morton said. His voice sounded distant and echoed against the voids of space.

"What on earth…" Ludwig said from his side of the battle, "Bro, is that you?"

"Yes and no," said Morton, "I am only a ghost here. They let me take one call to the surface world and of all people I had to choose you to talk to and you are in the middle of battle against our enemy. Oh well. I suppose they should know too."

"What are you talking about?" Ludwig asked.

"I am in the Underwhere now Ludwig," said Morton, "I am nonexistent in this world now. I wanted to warn you and wanted to tell you this; four shall leave, four shall die, and one shall share his father's grave. The words were echoing in my mind after death and I want you to tell Bowser. I believe it's a prophecy." Morton's form rippled.

"I will be unable to remain in this world," he said, "Tell father before it's too…" Morton's ghost vanished and he disappeared from the living world forever. Luigi was stunned. Ludwig was just staring. His fist clenched.

"Retreat!" he called. The airships rallied to his cry and flew off from the site, Ludwig's following last. Ludwig gave an 'I'm watching you' sign to Luigi before his armada flew off in the distance.

"That was so weird," said Peter, "What did he mean by that?"

"Four shall leave, four shall die… and one shall share his father's grave," Danny repeated, "What could that mean?"

"Something bad," said Luigi, "Or maybe good." He figured that Tanya would know if she was there.

"Well, either way, Morton Koopa Jr. is gone for good," said Polari, "Now we'd better get to finding King Kaliente in here. You've got to be careful when you do though because he doesn't exactly take too kindly to strangers." Luigi nodded and the Comet Observatory began circling the galaxy at a proper distance. Eventually the came upon a disc shaped planet made of molten rock that had lava in the basin at its north pole.

"That's probably it," said Rosalina, "He's a lava octopus." She formed the light bridge again and Luigi dashed across it, telling Peter and Danny to stay behind this time. He ended up on the planet's south pole and walked upside down to the northern half. The second he set foot on the northern half of the planet, the lava began to ripple and a tentacle ripped out of it and landed a few inches from Luigi's feet. Five more burst out and landed on the shores and two popped out and stuck up in the center. Then the king's gruesome head came out of the lava. He wore a gold crown on his head and had a nose fit for shooting fire balls and coconuts.

"Who dares disturb my sleep?" King Kaliente asked in a booming voice. Before Luigi could answer, the king fired a fire ball at him. Luigi stepped to the side and let the fire ball pass.

"You will pay for awakening me," said King Kaliente. He fired a barrage of fire balls at Luigi, causing our hero to take cover on the bottom half of the planet. As he stood upside down, he happened to look up (or down?) into the air and saw a crystal. Within it was a light blue flower.

"Hmmm…" he said to himself.

King Kaliente awaited his opponent's return to the top of the ring so that he could pummel him with fire balls. He wondered what was taking the man so long until suddenly, a snowball hit his face and sent a tingle down his whole body.

"A snowball with electricity?" he asked himself. Luigi landed on his feet in front of King Kaliente. His overalls were now green and his undershirt and cap light blue. His cloak had turned to a light blue color as well.

"Ready to fight Shockfreeze Luigi?" Luigi asked. King Kaliente gave a wicked grin.

"Bring it on sucker!" the king yelled. Luigi dashed around the ring as the king fired fireballs from his mouth and when the king stopped to catch his breath, he flung an electricity infused snowball at the king's face. It was a direct hit and it froze the king's head solid.

Luigi dashed for King Kaliente's head in order to kick some sense into him, creating icy lily pads as he dashed across the lava, but the king melted the ice with a few fireballs and then fired a coconut at Luigi. Luigi ducked under the coconut and realized that the power of the Ice Flower was wearing off. He jumped back out of the lava and landed on the ground just as the effects wore off.

King Kaliente was furious now.

"How dare you freeze the king's head!" he yelled, "You will pay for that!" King Kaliente suddenly grabbed Luigi with two of his tentacles and began to strangle him. Luigi gasped for breath and then got an idea. He charged his electrical powers and sent a bolt of electricity down each tentacle. King Kaliente was zapped and fell almost to the point of unconsciousness. Luigi landed on the ground in front of him.

"If I said that I was the Mage of Thunder would you answer my questions?" Luigi asked. King Kaliente perked up almost immediately.

"You are the Mage of Thunder?" he asked, "Oh I am so sorry! I am very alert to strangers. You seek your next location correct?"

"Of course," said Luigi.

"A lightning lit haunted world deep within space," said King Kaliente, "That is my hint to you." Luigi shuddered at the word haunted but thanked him and began to walk towards the southern half of the planet but suddenly, King Kaliente stopped him with his tentacle.

"And if you see the prophecy girl, give her my regards," said King Kaliente. Luigi nodded and King Kaliente let him go. He watched as Luigi ascended the light bridge back to the observatory and watched it take off into space.

"Good luck… Mage of Thunder," he said softly.

* * *

**A/N: During a quick pit stop in the Good Egg Galaxy, our heroes, and villains, have learned many new things. First, the new line in the prophecy has been revealed to both sides now. Second, Luigi has discovered a new form, that is, Shockfreeze Luigi. And finally, King Kaliente has given Luigi the third hint as to where he needs to go to perfect his powers. Who will be the next person to be affected by the prophecy? Who is the next person on the heroes' agenda? And where must Luigi go to perfect his powers and find the staff of Thurius? Eight people have guessed Tanya's identity correctly, four users, and four non-users. **

**Shockfreeze Luigi is a mix between the Ice Flower's powers in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy. The Underwhere was a world in Super Paper Mario where people went to when their games ended. And I did the best I could on a challenge by Pearl0001 to reference the Titan's Curse of the Percy Jackson series, where Morton appears as a ghost and tells the two sides of a battle a prophecy that ends the fight, just like the Oracle in that very book.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	33. Frozen in Freezy Flake

Chapter 33: Frozen in Freezy Flake

The Comet Observatory once again moved smoothly through space. They were on their way to what Polari believed to be the next location where they would find somebody who would be able to share their knowledge with Luigi. According to Polari, this person was named Francis and he lived in the Freezy Flake Galaxy, but Rosalina thought otherwise. She believed he lived in Freezeflame now, but Polari insisted that they head to Freezy Flake first just to check.

So that was where they were headed as Luigi sat on the edge of the floating island that held the Fountain Dome, waiting for their arrival in the galaxy. He was busy trying to figure out how to make sense of the three hints he had received so far.

"Both things I seek in the same place; a dark, haunted world lit by lightning," Luigi muttered to himself, "Just what place fits that description?" He was also wondering about what Morton's ghost had told him and Ludwig after he had gone to the Underwhere for good, something about four dying, four leaving, and one sharing his father's grave. He wondered what it could mean.

"Luigi!" Peter called from below on the path leading to the fountain's warp panel. Luigi looked down at him.

"What is it?" Luigi asked.

"We're coming close to Freezy Flake!" Peter called, "You may want to observe before you go down there!" Luigi nodded and took the warp panel to where Peter was standing. He followed Peter to the front deck and saw an almost white galaxy in the distance.

"That's it right there!" Polari exclaimed as he floated up behind them, "You just need to check and then get back here." Luigi nodded.

"I want to go too," said Peter.

"I'm just going in and coming back," said Luigi, "You stay here." Before Peter could protest, they were on top of the galaxy and Rosalina had formed the light bridge that would take Luigi down there.

* * *

Luigi set foot on the cold snow of the first planetoid in the galaxy. There was a cottage on the top half of the planetoid with a snowman next to it, and the bottom half housed none other than a Fire Flower inside a crystal. His cloak only kept him slightly warm in the cold weather as he walked around the planetoid, looking for any sign of life. Even the cottage was empty.

Luigi decided that it would be best to look for some sort of secret on the planetoid that could help him out but he thought he heard a noise and spun around. It was just a white bunny with yellow tipped ears at his feet, looking up at him.

"Are you lost mister?" it asked. Luigi didn't act surprised at all. There were all sorts of strange animals that could talk in this universe.

"I'm looking for a guy named Francis," said Luigi. The bunny stared at him.

"Well, I did know a guy named Francis at one point in time," said the bunny.

"Do you know where he lives?" Luigi asked.

"He lived down there," said the bunny, walking over to the side of the planetoid and pointing down to one of the larger planetoids far below. Then he came back over to Luigi.

"I don't know if he's still down there or not because he just gave his cabin to me and ran off down there," said the bunny, "If you're gonna look for him, you'll need to melt that snowman over there." He gestured to the snowman next to the cottage.

"I use it to conceal the Launch Star leading to the lower planets," he said. Luigi thanked the rabbit and dashed down to the underside of the planet where he had seen the Fire Flower stuck in a crystal. He smashed the crystal onto the ground and grabbed the Fire Flower. It vanished in his hand and immediately, he became Shockburn Luigi.

He quickly dashed up to the topside of the planet, knowing that the Fire Flower's effects wouldn't last very long, and flung an electrically infused fireball at the snowman, melting it on contact, and revealing the Launch Star. The bunny gaped in surprise. Luigi waved and jumped into the Launch Star, which fired him down to the depths of the galaxy. The bunny watched as he went.

"Perfect," he said, "That place will put him out for a few days if not kill him within hours! King Bowser will be pleased!" He gave a wicked laugh before returning to his cottage.

* * *

Luigi landed in the snow feet first and got himself stuck in the deep fluff. He pulled himself up and pulled is cloak around him. It was freezing down here and he could barely see because a snowstorm had kicked up. Luigi walked through it, maneuvering via road signs and fences. Once or twice he almost fell off the edge of the planet because of the lack of vision.

The snowstorm only pounded him harder. After nearly an hour of wandering through the snowstorm, he was unable to move anymore. His fire abilities had worn off by now and he was numb across his entire body. No one could live in these conditions, no matter who it was. It was too cold. But Luigi was unable to think any longer. He fell face first into the snow, completely unconscious.

* * *

Danny turned the wrench on one of the engine bolts and stood up wiping his forehead.

"That should be good," he said.

"Are you sure?" asked Gearmo nervously, "After all, the observatory may not get as good of gas mileage…"

"It'll be fine," said Danny, "The more I work on things, the more they improve! Well, at least I think that's how it is…" Peter suddenly rushed into the engine room.

"Danny, Luigi is still out there!" Peter cried. Danny turned.

"How long has it been?" Danny asked.

"It's been almost two hours!" Peter cried, "We need to go find him!" Danny's face went ashen. His dad was still down in that frozen galaxy after two hours just searching for somebody? It couldn't take that long! Without a word, Danny flew from the room and followed Peter down to the front deck. Peter produced some parkas from his pen and gave one to Danny and they both ran across the light bridge down to the planetoid that Luigi had gone down to first.

* * *

Peter and Danny rushed onto the surface of the planetoid to find the cottage with the Launch Star still revealed outside, and the bunny rebuilding the snowman around it.

"Hey, can you tell us if a cloaked man came by here?" Peter asked hastily. The bunny turned to them.

"Oh yes," he said, "He took this Launch Star down to that planetoid down there." Danny and Peter rushed for the Launch Star but the bunny stopped them.

"You wouldn't happen to be friends of his would you?" the bunny asked. They both nodded quickly.

"Oh dear," he said, "You must go save your friend down there! It is deadly! A snowstorm always rages down there and its freezing temperatures can kill people within just hours!" Peter and Danny looked at each other in panic.

"You have to let us use the Launch Star!" Danny cried, "That man is my father!"

"And my uncle!" Peter cried also. The bunny stepped aside and they both rushed into the star, which launched them both with incredible force down to the planet below.

* * *

It was ten minutes on the snowstorm planet before they saw a green cloak in the snow. They ran up to it and pushed Luigi over onto his back. He was unconscious and shivering.

"He's still with us," said Peter. Their parkas shielded them from the wind and snow but Luigi looked like he would freeze to death any second. Peter quickly took the bracelet on Luigi's wrist off and focused and calmed himself.

"Rosalina! Get us back up to the Observatory!" he said loudly over the snowstorm, "We've found Luigi! Repeat, we've found Luigi!" They both held onto Luigi and a light washed over them, and they vanished from the snowstorm planet.

* * *

Danny and Peter watched nervously as Luigi lay in the bedroom shivering from hypothermia as Rosalina called it. The purple Luma, who was one of the smartest Lumas on the observatory, even more so than Polari, and the most gluttonous, was treating Luigi as he also had knowledge of medicine and other things of that sort.

"Is he going to be alright?" Peter asked nervously. Rosalina put a hand on each of their shoulders. In doing so, she returned the bracelet that Peter had lent to her to communicate with them. Peter slid it back onto his wrist.

"He will be fine," she said, "But he won't be going anywhere until he wakes and warms up."

"And that means we're at a dead end until he does," said Danny as he walked over to and plopped down in the chair in the corner of the room. His eyes were red from crying. He stared at the ground as though it was the only thing that existed. Peter walked over to him and sat down with him. Then he hugged his cousin tightly.

"Your dad will be fine," said Peter, "And he would be proud of you. You went into a snowstorm to save him." Danny looked up at his cousin and started crying again. He buried his face in Peter's chest. And then Luigi stirred. Rosalina was the first to notice.

"He's moving!" she cried. Both Danny and Peter looked up suddenly. Luigi's eyes fluttered open.

"Dad!" Danny cried as he flew from the chair and hugged his father. Luigi was too cold to return it but he managed to utter a few words.

"Not… in… Freezy Flake…" he gasped, "Go for… Freezeflame…" Luigi's eyes closed again and his breathing over the next few silent minutes became even.

"He's fine," said Rosalina for the second time, "But he's not going anywhere in this condition." She turned to Polari.

"And I totally knew it. Francis is in Freezeflame. Set a course for the galaxy immediately." Polari saluted and flew out of the room. Danny got down from the bed and Peter walked over to him.

"So it's you and me in Freezeflame eh buddy?" asked Peter. Danny nodded excitedly.

"This one's for dad!" he exclaimed. And they walked out of the room, followed by the purple Luma, leaving Luigi to his sleep.

* * *

"It's blasphemy!" Bowser yelled.

"But father…" Ludwig protested.

"Get out!" Bowser screamed. He threw a poor Koopa at Ludwig's head and Ludwig rushed out of the throne room.

"Why will he not listen to me?" he asked himself as he ran down the corridors of the castle. He slowed down to walking pace as he made his way through the corridors. He had tried to tell his father about what Morton's ghost had said about four leaving, four dying, and one sharing his father's grave but Bowser wouldn't listen. Ludwig decided now that it probably wasn't smart to approach him just after Morton had died and Lemmy had left because he was outraged at both things. Now he had lost his chance at ever getting the information into his father's head.

"We're all doomed," he said to himself, "Luigi's going to kill four of us and four of us our going to leave!" He kicked a stray can into a nearby recycling bin.

"And one of us is going down with the big boss," said Ludwig to himself, "And that one is _not_ going to be me." He walked quickly back to the Koopalings' quarters to devise his escape plot so as to leave behind his life and hit the roads of outer space.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has developed hypothermia so Peter and Danny will be in action in Freezeflame to find Francis and gather the fourth hint! And Ludwig is devising his escape from Bowser's side. Will Ludwig's plan succeed? What will Peter and Danny find in Freezeflame? And will Luigi recover from his illness?**

**Sorry for being out for so long. I've been on vacation. Now that my summer school is over, I'm hoping that maybe I'll be able to update more. I will try to alert when I will be going on vacation.**

**The bunny in this chapter is a slight reference to Boingo, the evil rabbit from Hoodwinked who appears as a nice guy but then turns out to be a villain. But the heroes never find that out in this story. Freezy Flake appeared in Super Mario Galaxy 2 in... World 3, right? Please correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't played that game since I beat it. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	34. Scaling Freezy Peak

Chapter 34: Scaling Freezy Peak

Peter and Danny were all ready to go when Freezeflame came into view. They would be scouring the galaxy for Francis, which meant travelling up the icy mountain and perhaps into the lava world above that. Peter was bringing only his pen, while Danny was bringing a thick rope coiled around his arm, some firewood, and a Power Star from his father's cloak so that they could both breathe in the confines of space once they left the Observatory.

"Are you two sure you'll be alright?" Polari asked nervously.

"We're fine," said Peter. He turned to his cousin. "Come on Danny!" Danny nodded and Rosalina formed the light bridge that went all the way down to the icy mountain below. They nodded to each other again and then ran down the light bridge towards the frozen planet below.

* * *

Unlike Freezy Flake, it wasn't stormy when they arrived, but Peter drew the parkas for them anyways. A light snow fell over the planetoid as they looked up to the mountain. It was enormous, and they were going to be climbing it.

"That thing is huge!" Danny exclaimed in awe.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," said Peter.

"You're welcome," said Danny. Peter rolled his eyes and smiled at his cousin. Then they moved on down the slope in front of them to figure out how they were going to get up the mountain.

They jumped across the ice platforms in the icy lake at the foot of the mountain until they reached the last one. There, just before they made their last jump, three blue, ghostly enemies flew from the icy water around them. They stood back to back as the little things got closer to them.

"Peter, what are these things?" Danny asked quietly.

"I think they're called Ice Bubbles," Peter answered, "We need to snuff them out." They remained still as the Ice Bubbles drew closer and then suddenly, Peter drew flames around them and got the Ice Bubbles to move away from them. He withdrew the flames and Danny charged forwards at one of them.

Just as he was about to make impact with it, he slid underneath and gripped the ice with his boots, then flew forwards behind the Ice Bubble and blew it out with a strong breath. It fell to the ground as a small dark blue rock. Danny kicked across the platform, knocking down the other two to the ground as dark blue rocks, where it fell into the water… and popped right back out just as it was before!

"Wh-what happened?" Danny cried.

"They can rejuvenate themselves in cold temperatures!" Peter called back to him, "Be careful not to let them get into the icy water!" Danny once again charged forwards and stomped out one of the Ice Bubbles he had knocked out before, shattering it into tiny pieces. The other one, however, bounced away from him before he could stomp it, but it happened to bounce right at Peter, who quickly drew a hammer and smashed it into the ice.

Unfortunately, that also caused the ice to crack and the whole floe began to split in half. Danny jumped over to the side of the ice floe that Peter was on, avoiding the third Ice Bubble, and they both jumped onto a nearby snowy island with a water spout in the middle with the Ice Bubble still following them.

"What do we do now?" Danny asked in panic, as the ice floe had sunken into the water and the Ice Bubble was closing in on them.

"We burn it!" Peter cried. He drew two Fire Flowers and handed one to Danny. He showed Danny how to use the flower and then they both squeezed the stem and fire burst from the flowers' faces, in a flurry of flames. The Ice Bubble was burned up instantly, core and all. The two boys high fived each other and then observed what they would do next. They were on an island with nothing but a water spout on it and since the ice floe they had just been on sunk, they were stranded.

"Now what?" asked Peter. Danny pulled the rope from his shoulder, looped it into a lasso, turned it above his head, and then threw it as hard as he could towards another water spout sticking out of the ground. It hooked onto the water spout and Danny checked it to make sure it was tight enough. Then he tied the other end to the water spout and touched the rope. It bounced a little but it appeared tight.

"A tightrope?" Peter asked. Danny nodded and got up on top of the rope, putting his arms out to keep balance.

"Come on!" he said as he began walking up the rope to the ledge. Peter was reluctant to try because of the icy water below him but he got on anyway and found the tightrope walking to be surprisingly easy. He probably could have jumped across and not fallen. He reached the other side easily and jumped off onto the ledge. Then he pulled the rope as hard as he could and the knot that was on the water spout below came undone. He pulled the rope towards him and then untied it from the water spout. Then a voice rang out.

"Hey down there young'uns!" it called to them. They both looked up to the next ledge above theirs. There was an old Toad looking down at them. He had a white moustache and beard and he wore a pair of spectacles. He looked like Santa Claus.

"Who are you?" asked Peter.

"Perhaps I should be asking you that," said the old Toad, "Why don't you come up here and we'll have a little parley?" The two boys looked at each other, neither aware of what the word meant.

"O… kay…" said Peter. Danny threw the rope up to the ledge and the Toad caught it. Then they both held on as the Toad tried to pull them up. He was only able to get them up halfway before he fell over backwards, still gripping the rope tightly. Peter and Danny climbed the rest of the way up and helped the old man up from the snowy ground.

"Alrighty then," said the Toad, "What brings you to this galaxy?"

"My dad got hypotherma something," said Danny, "So we're here to find this guy named Francis who can tell us where he needs to go in his place!"

"In other words, his dad, who is also my uncle, got sick while on a mission to find seven people who could tell him where he needed to go to find his destiny," said Peter, "So now we're here to find a guy named Francis." The Toad looked confused by both of their explanations but seemed to have a glint in his eye.

"Ah yes, I know Francis," said the Toad, "He lives up there." He pointed towards the large lava planet up in the sky far above them. Peter and Danny gaped.

"How do we get up there?" Peter asked.

"There is a Launch Star up at the top of the mountain," said the Toad, "I can take you there. I may not look like it, but I was an expert mountain climber back in my day!" Peter and Danny blinked a few times but decided that it was best to follow this old toad. They began around the mountainside and jumped across a small gap between ledges. Then they came to a dead end.

"Now let's see if I can remember the footings here…" the Toad said to himself. He began to try to climb the icy wall, but slipped almost immediately. Danny caught him by the arm and pulled him back up.

"That was close," said Peter as Danny caught his breath.

"And that didn't work either," said the Toad, "I think my mountain climbing skills have gotten rusty…"

"You think?" Peter said to himself. They devised a plan to use the rope to grab an outcropped ledge sticking out of the side of the mountain, and swinging back and forth until they were able to reach the next ledge, about ten feet up. Danny lassoed the ledge and began his swing. He swung about five times back and forth before he jumped up onto the ledge safely. Peter hefted the Toad onto his back and did the same thing, hitting the ledge and pulling the rope to them after just a few swings.

"Just a few more ledges and we'll be at the peak!" the Toad exclaimed encouragingly. They walked around the mountainside again and up a small slope. The peak of the mountain was about thirty feet up now. They swung up to the next ledge in the same way as before and walked around the mountain again, ending up ten feet below the peak of the mountain, where the tip of the Launch Star was visible.

There was nothing to lasso up here though so they decided to climb some of the stones that were sticking out from the side of the peak. Danny began to climb on top of one of them, but suddenly, it moved towards the peak and Danny fell into the snow.

"Danny, are you alright?" Peter asked as he ran over.

"I'm fine," said Danny as he stood up, "But that is no ordinary stone!" Indeed, the stone had a face on its front and seemed to be moving towards them… as a matter of fact, it was moving towards them! They quickly jumped out of the way and let the stone pass. The Toad watched from the side.

"Ah yes, the pushing stones of no mercy," he said, "At least, that's what I call them. They are actually very easy to climb." As if to prove his point, he suddenly dashed forward and jumped onto the lowest moving stone and jumped up above the second one, which caught him as he fell. Then he backflipped up onto the third as it fell into place with the others as Peter and Danny watched in amazement.

"How did you…" Peter cut himself off. They followed in the exact same way, bounding off of the first, landing on the second to catch their breath and then jumping up to where the Toad was standing.

"There it is," said the Toad without turning to them, "The Launch Star of Freezy Peak." Peter and Danny looked up at the Launch Star. Somehow it wasn't yellow like all of the others, but light blue.

"How is it light blue?" Danny asked.

"Oh, the first time I came up here, I spray painted it to match my mushroom cap," said the Toad, pointing to his mushroom cap, which was light blue with white spots shaped like snowflakes, "Shall we go?" Peter was creeped out by this guy but Danny nodded his head yes and they followed him up to the Launch Star and stepped inside.

"Alright, next stop, the Firey Planet of Fury!" the Toad cried. And with that, the Launch Star blasted them off to the lava filled planet above.

* * *

**A/N: Peter and Danny finally have their chance in the spotlight! So far they've met a strange old Toad and scaled Freezy Peak and are on their way to what the old Toad calls the Firey Planet of Fury. Will they find Francis there? And will Luigi recover from his hypothermia? I will be going out of town tomorrow and will be out of town all next week (July 22-28).**

**Freezeflame appeared in the original Super Mario Galaxy and is one of my favorite galaxies in existence in the Mario world.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	35. The Truth About Shelly

Chapter 35: The Truth About Shelly

"But father, you promised!" Iggy yelled. Bowser looked down at his green haired son worriedly. He had promised each of the eight Koopalings that they would get something for helping him take over the universe. He had kept true to his word except to Iggy. Iggy's wish was to make Shelly the ninth Koopaling. Why hadn't he kept true to that word yet? The way she was to become a Koopaling and part of their family was to be married to Iggy. Bowser hadn't had time to do that yet and now he didn't know what to do about it since Luigi was coming after him.

"Iggy, try to understand…" Bowser pleaded. Iggy turned his head.

"I knew you were bad at keeping promises before, but this is ridiculous!" Iggy exclaimed, "You had the whole universe at your hands and you gave everyone else what they wanted; everyone but Shelly and I!" There was no way to sedate Iggy now. He was furious. Shelly had come into the Koopa family's life after what the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom called the Mirror Incident. She had been a shady character that Bowser didn't know much about, but Iggy liked her so he figured she was alright.

"Iggy…" Bowser was cut off by Turner entering the room.

"Sir, Mario has awakened!" he cried. Bowser looked between Turner and his son. If he dealt with Mario now, he would likely lose his son's trust, but he had to keep Mario in check or he might escape.

"Iggy can this…"

"Wait?" Iggy asked, "I've been waiting for ten years for you to fulfill your promise!"

"I'm sorry Iggy but…"

"You need to protect your precious reign over your precious universe don't you?" Iggy guessed, "Well I don't really care about that anymore! I just want to be with Shelly! One more slip up and we're gone and that _is_ a promise!" He stormed out of the room, leaving Bowser and a very confused Turner in the throne room with all of the prisoners kept there.

"What was that all about?" Turner asked. Bowser just sulked.

"Let's go see our plumber prisoner shall we?" he asked half-heartedly.

They walked down five flights of stairs to get down to the lowest dungeon. When they arrived, they found Dark Mario and Ludwig waiting for them.

"About time," Dark Mario huffed. Ludwig said nothing and simply looked on as Bowser sulked into the room. Bowser straightened up as soon as he hit the floor so as to look good in front of his broken nemesis. Mario was sitting against the back wall of the cell, face ashen and breathing hard. He had been out for at least a week.

"So you have awakened," Bowser said in the sharpest tone he could manage. Mario looked up but didn't answer. There was still an ember of hatred left in his stare. Bowser almost smiled. His nemesis must have been half dead by then. But then he got an idea. He would let his nemesis suffer.

"Give him something to eat and drink," Bowser ordered Turner. Ludwig raised an eyebrow as Turner saluted and rushed up the stairs. Dark Mario looked at his doppleganger in disgust. Then he turned to Bowser.

"Do you need me to do anything sir?" he asked. Bowser thought for a moment.

"Head out to Drip Drop," said Bowser, "Seize the galaxy and we'll hope that Luigi crosses paths there."

"Of course," said Dark Mario. He hurried up the stairs just as Turner was coming down. Turner opened the cell and put a plate of peanut butter sandwiches on the cell floor along with a cup of water, but Mario didn't move from his spot. Obviously, he was too weak to move.

"Eat something you idiot!" Bowser yelled. Mario still didn't move and continued to stare down at the food. Finally, after a few minutes, Mario picked up a sandwich and ate it whole. Then he picked up another and did the same. He finished off the sandwiches and chugged the water, then looked up like a puppy as if asking for more. Bowser gave a wicked grin.

"One meal a day," said Bowser, "That's all you get." It made him feel good to make his nemesis suffer. One day he would kill him, but for now, he could get enjoyment out of Mario's suffering. As long as he got at least one meal, he wouldn't die. Now he had to worry about handling Iggy.

"Turner, stay here and guard Mario's cell," said Bowser, "I can handle the prisoners in the throne room."

"Yes sir!" Turner cried with a salute. Bowser nodded and ascended the stairs. He was going to have to come up with some way to please Iggy. He was too busy to marry the two of them at the moment. But what could he do? He pondered this as he ascended the stairs and returned to the floor of his throne room.

"Have you considered listening to me yet?" Ludwig asked from below as Bowser reached the crossway between the first basement floor and the second. Bowser turned and looked down at his oldest son.

"It's nonsense Ludwig," Bowser said in annoyance, "Now leave me alone. I've got bigger things to worry about." Ludwig narrowed his eyes as Bowser continued to ascend the stairs. News in the Koopa Castle got around fast and Ludwig had already heard that Iggy was mad at their father for not keeping his promise. Ludwig could understand that. He and the rest of his brothers and sister had all gotten what they had wanted from Bowser except for Iggy.

"Why can't he stop being so naïve to what will occur?" he asked himself as he walked up the stairs two flights behind his father.

* * *

Peter, Danny, and the old guy had been on the lava planet for a half an hour and they still hadn't found the Francis character. It was like he didn't even exist. Either that or the old guy was lying. Right now they were busy trying to get out of the way of about five spiky urchin thingies that kept rolling at them. Peter was carrying the old guy around on his back and both of them were panicking trying to get away from the surprisingly fast creatures.

"They can only be burned up!" the old Toad called out suddenly. He appeared to be very calm in the situation.

"Why didn't you tell us that sooner?" Danny cried. The spiky urchins were gaining on them. Peter grabbed Danny by the arm and drew two fire flowers again and thrust one into Danny's hands. They both squeezed the stems at once and fired them at the urchins. Sure enough, they were burned up at the touch of the fire.

"How did you…" Peter started.

"I know much about this galaxy," said the old Toad. Danny and Peter looked at each other in confusion. They continued on down the path monster free for a while until they reached a fork in the path with a bare path on one side, and a cemented wall on the other.

"Which way do we go?" asked Danny.

"That way," said the old Toad, pointing to the right. A lava spout burst over the path. Peter and Danny jumped back.

"Are… are you sure?" Danny asked. The old Toad nodded.

"That way is the way," said the Toad, "I know it." Danny looked at Peter and he just shrugged, following the way the Toad had directed them to. A lava plume suddenly flew over their heads.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Peter asked in panic.

"Perfectly," said the old Toad calmly. They continued along the path, avoiding the lava plumes and geysers which for some reason seemed to be missing them every single time. Eventually, they reached the end of the path and found at the end a series of moving platforms floating across the lava. Across the lake of magma, there was an island and farther across was what appeared to be a house built into the lava planet's rock walls.

"That is where Francis lives," said the old Toad, pointing all the way across the lava lake. Peter and Danny began to maneuver across the moving platforms. Danny almost fell in once but Peter grabbed him and steadied him. They jumped across the last few quickly and landed on the halfway island in the middle of the lake.

Now the platforms were being pushed up by lava geysers as well as simply floating across the lava. They began by jumping to the first one, which was strangely black and appeared to be charred, though stable.

"What's up with this platform?" asked Peter.

"Look out," said the old Toad calmly. They turned to their left and saw the lava rising up from that direction into an enormous monster made of lava. It was heading directly towards them with its mouth wide open.

"What on earth is that!" Danny cried.

"A Magmaw," said the old Toad, "Better jump fast." Peter and Danny didn't waste a moment. The second the next platform got down from the lava geyser, they jumped onto it. This one wasn't charred so they knew they were in the clear as the Magmaw passed behind them.

"That was too close," said Peter, catching his breath.

"Keep moving youngsters!" said the old Toad jovially. They did so and jumped to the next platform, avoiding another Magmaw and then jumping onto a set of moving platforms that were moving around each other in tandem. They had to figure out the pattern behind the three platforms and managed to jump from one to the next to the next without trouble, hitting another geyser platform just as the geyser was retreating. They quickly jumped to the next platform, the last one before they reached solid ground and the house of Francis, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a group of three Magmaws burst from the lava and charged at them. Before they could jump to solid ground, another enormous lava creature burst out in front of them and looked like it would come down on them.

"M-m-magmaargh!" the old Toad cried. They were surrounded and apparently the old geezer couldn't help them out of this one.

"What now?" Danny asked in panic. Peter squeezed his eyes shut and covered Danny's with his hands… but nothing hit them. They opened their eyes and saw Tanya hovering above them, her staff in hand, glowing with power at its diamond tip.

"You're… Tanya correct?" Peter asked.

"So you remembered," said Tanya, "Yes, I am Tanya. I couldn't let the prophecy be disrupted. When the mage falls ill, the younger shall take his place in finding the next sage."

"Thank you," said Danny politely.

"Well then," said the old Toad, "I suppose we'd better get to Francis's place now shouldn't we?" Peter and Danny nodded while Tanya raised an eyebrow. They all jumped across to solid ground and walked over to the house built into the rocks. Peter knocked on the door as hard as he could, but no one answered.

"Is anyone home?" he called to the inside of the house.

"Oh, I must thank you," said the old Toad. He jumped off of Peter's back. Peter and Danny looked down at him in surprise.

"Thank us?" asked Danny, "For what?"

"For escorting me home of course," he said with a smile. Peter and Danny were shocked.

"You're Francis?" Peter asked in disbelief. Tanya rolled her eyes.

"Yep, he's Francis," said Tanya, "He's always messing with people like this. You've got to stop that before you make enemies."

"Sorry Tanya, but can't an old man have a little fun?" asked Francis.

"You know each other?" Peter asked.

"I know all of the sages, and everyone in the worlds beyond," said Tanya mysteriously.

"Good reason for that too…" Francis chuckled. Tanya shot him a deadly glare and he stopped. Francis unlocked the door and led them inside, where they found quite a nice house. They sat down on the sofa and a few chairs and Peter and Danny explained their situation to Francis.

"I see," said Francis, "I can help you with both things believe it or not." He went over to the sink and turned a nozzle a few times, then took a jar and turned it on. Out of it poured liquid magma. He did the same thing with two other jars, put them in a sack, and brought them over to Peter and Danny.

"Take this to free your father from the illness that binds him," said Francis, handing the sack to Danny, "And as for the information he needs… tell him to look for the stars forming Thurius's Lightning." Peter and Danny gave him puzzled looks.

"It'll all make sense once you have all seven hints," said Francis, "If you have the wits to make sense of it." He winked and Tanya rolled her eyes again.

"I must be going," said Tanya, "I must ensure that the prophecy holds true." With that, she twirled and vanished into thin air.

"A busy girl she is," said Francis, "Unfortunately, she won't let anyone she knows tell anybody who doesn't know her who she is. They just have to figure it out for themselves."

"Why is that?" asked Peter.

"Dark pasts sow distrust," said Francis, "Now you two must get going must you?" Peter and Danny nodded and Peter called Rosalina up on Luigi's bracelet. She picked up after five rings and he told her to pick them up. They waved goodbye to Francis as the light shot down from nowhere and caused them to vanish back to the Comet Observatory.

The second they arrived back, Polari rushed up to them.

"We must hurry!" he cried.

"What is it?" asked Peter.

"We have a distress call from Drip Drop!" Polari cried, "We have to help them! We've been waiting for you to get back Danny because we don't know how to start the engine anymore!"

"Leave it to me!" Danny exclaimed. He rushed off to the Engine Room warp pad, leaving the sack of lava jars behind.

"Will Luigi be able to fight?" asked Peter.

"I don't know," said Polari, "He's still cold…"

"Then let's get him warm again," said Peter, pulling the jars out of the bag.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, the old toad turned out to be Francis! Did anybody see that coming? Now our heroes are on a pit stop trip to Drip Drop to answer a distress call, Iggy is mad at his dad, and we learn of Shelly's true relation to the Koopa Family. Will Bowser keep his promise? What will the heroes expect to find in Drip Drop? And will Luigi find the place where he will perfect his powers? **

**I probably won't be able to update tomorrow because I will be at a friend's house. I will see you all in a week and a few days! Btw Pearl0001, I only support the obvious pairings in the Percy Jackson series like PercyxAnnabeth and HazelxFrank. Nothing subtle like ThaliaxNico.**

**I tried the best I could to reference Star Wars episode V in these last two chapters by making Francis's identity not known until later on, like Luke didn't know who Yoda was until later. Magmaws and Magmaarghs appeared in Super Mario Galaxy 2 in lava galaxies and Bowser Galaxies.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	36. Luigi, Back in Action!

Chapter 36: Luigi, Back in Action!

Peter and Polari rushed into the bedroom where Luigi lied asleep in the bed. Peter quickly pulled the jars from his pockets.

"How do we use them?" asked Polari. Peter didn't answer and popped the lids off of the two jars, pouring them onto the bed. The lava poured onto the bed and engulfed Luigi's sleeping body. Then, it all vanished into fine red dust. Luigi was sitting up, eyes open.

"Luigi!" Peter cried. He hugged his uncle tightly. Luigi jumped out of bed and staggered slightly. Peter caught him.

"What happened exactly?" Luigi asked. Peter explained what had happened since Freezy Flake, since Luigi had been still half unconscious when he woke up the first time.

"And now we're on our way to the Drip Drop Galaxy on a distress signal!" said Polari. Luigi perked up.

"A distress signal?" he asked with sudden concern.

"Yep," said Polari. They lurched suddenly.

"Looks like your kid got the ship running again," said Polari, "I'll let you know when we get there." Polari floated out of the room. Uncle and nephew were silent for a few moments before Peter spoke up again.

"We succeeded in finding the sage, Francis," said Peter. He explained to Luigi what Francis had set about looking for Thurius's lightning. Luigi looked lost.

"I don't know either," said Peter, "He said it would become clear when all of the clues came together.

"I sure hope so," said Peter. Rosalina walked into the room and handed Peter something. It was his bracelet.

"Oh right," said Peter. He and Rosalina had been using his and Luigi's bracelets to communicate with each other from planetoids to the Comet Observatory. Peter handed Luigi's bracelet back to him and put on his own.

"Looks like somebody's been busy," said Luigi with a smile. Peter returned the smile. Luigi walked over to the coat rack in the corner of the room and removed his cloak and hat from it, putting them back on in their proper positions. Then he reached into his cloak and pulled out two of the friendship bracelets/communicators. He handed one to Rosalina.

"Take this," he said, "We'll need it to keep in touch." Rosalina accepted the bracelet and slid it on her wrist. Polari suddenly rushed into the room.

"We're here!" he cried.

* * *

They understood why there was a distress signal immediately. Three of Bowser's airships were circling the planet and the water looked all polluted. Luigi quickly scanned the airships to see which Koopaling could have been behind this terribleness, but he didn't spot any Koopaling at all. Rather, he saw Dark Mario at the helm of the largest airship.

"Not him again," Luigi groaned.

"We'll have to take him down in order to break up the attack," said Rosalina, "There is no stable land for a light bridge so you'll have to use the Power Stars. Luigi pulled the two Power Stars from his cloak and they circled around him. He began to float in the air and the stars took him down towards the sole liquid planet that was the Drip Drop Galaxy.

He landed on one of the small islands on the north of the island, next to a group of ten small penguins and an older penguin who was larger.

"Oh my gosh!" one of the penguins cried, "It's a cloaked guy!"

"My name is Luigi and I've come answering your…" Luigi started.

"Please send them away!" the penguins begged in interruption, "They've kept us out of the water for twelve hours now!"

"I will," said Luigi. But before he could get the Power Stars to lift him up to the airships to face off against Dark Mario and his troops, he felt a flipper on his shoulder. It was the old penguin.

"I see you're here to save us," said the old penguin.

"Of course," said Luigi, "I will destroy Bowser and his forces for the good of all people."

"Well then, if you get the chance, please pass by the Sea Slide Galaxy and make sure my cousin is all right will ya? I've been worried about him since that's the galaxy Bowser treats the harshest."

"I will do so," said Luigi. The old penguin nodded.

"Then go for it youngster!" he cried. The Power Stars lifted Luigi up. Dark Mario seemed to take notice of his presence and commanded his troops to fire the cannons down at Luigi. The Power Stars protected Luigi from potential danger and he landed on the deck of the smallest ship, which was also the lowest, two ships below Dark Mario's, and he immediately began attacking the crew. He zapped a few Troopas who were manning the cannons and then kicked one of their shells at the ten Octogoombas that made up the ship's main crew. That left the captain, a strange creature made of two blocks.

Luigi had heard of these things. They were simply known as the block people and they lived everywhere in the universe. But why was this one aligned with Bowser? The block person turned around and drew a sword. Luigi readied his electricity when suddenly, a cannonball struck the deck nearby him. The ship began to fall and Luigi looked up. The Comet Observatory's cannons were firing on the airships!

Luigi quickly ran up to the helm and tried to jump to the next ship but the block person grabbed him by the leg and pulled him down. Luigi dodged his blade strikes, wishing he still had his dagger from the first part of his journey and kicked the block person onto the lower deck. He quickly got a running start and jumped high up to the next ship just as the first was crashing into the water. The next airship had not yet been hit by the power of the Observatory's cannonballs. Luigi took out the main crew, a measly few Octogoombas, Goombas, Koopas, and a Wiggler, and went to face the captain who was surprisingly also a block person with a sword.

Luigi defeated this guy in a much similar manner, still bamboozled as to why there were so many block people aligned with Bowser. He jumped to the next ship, Dark Mario's, just as the Comet Observatory began peppering the second with cannonballs. There were intense details on Dark Mario's ship. It had a black and red paint job and two flags were raised on the pole. One had Bowser's symbol while the other had the symbol of Mario in black and red, with a brown background. Bowser must have given the ship to Dark Mario personally.

Dark Mario glared fiercely at his original's brother. Luigi glared back. He had officially decided that every block person in the universe must be on Bowser's side, because this ship had a crew of twenty one block people and Dark Mario as its captain.

"I can't believe that actually worked," said Dark Mario, folding his arms with a pleasured evil grin on his face, "We meet again Luigi." He said Luigi's name as though Luigi was the scum of the earth. Luigi readied his powers warily. Dark Mario snapped his fingers and two of the block people brought forth two items. One was a Fire Flower, while the other was Ice.

"Take your pick," said Dark Mario, keeping the smug grin on his face, "I'm sure you'll lose either way." Luigi went over the options and craziness in his head. Obviously, Dark Mario was challenging him to a duel, fire versus ice. If he chose fire, he would be able to melt the snow that Dark Mario used against him, but that would also negate the abilities of the fireballs. The ice form would also negate its opponent's attacks and itself. Neither item would last long so…

"If you're thinking this is only going to last for a short time because of limited item use, think again," said Dark Mario as if reading his mind, "These items are special and last for as long as the user has the will to fight." Luigi eliminated the thought of time limit from his mind and made his decision.

"I choose the Fire Flower," he said clearly. The block person holding the Fire Flower threw it to him and he squeezed its stem. Instantly, he became Shockburn Luigi again. Dark Mario gave a wicked grin and took the ice flower, squeezing its stem and changing the color of his clothing. Now he wore dark blue overalls, similar to Mario's normal ones, and a black shirt and cap. Icy aura emanated from his hands as the two faced each other with glaring eyes.

Luigi struck first, firing an electrically infused fireball at Dark Mario. Dark Mario rolled underneath it and began throwing ice balls at Luigi. Luigi began kicking and punching the ice balls out of the way, blazing through all of them quite literally. He engulfed himself in flames and charged at his opponent. Dark Mario front flipped over him and fired a blizzard at Luigi. Luigi felt almost no pain thanks to the Fire Flower's power. He responded with a jolt of electricity to stun his opponent through the deck, followed by an electrically infused fire ball from above.

But Dark Mario was far from done. Despite being hit multiple times by fireballs infused with electricity, he stood up as though unfazed. Neither combatant was going to give up easily. Luigi had burned a hole through the entire ship by now and three block people had fallen through. Right now, he was trying to get Dark Mario over to that hole. Dark Mario resisted well however, and almost knocked his opponent into the hole once they got close.

Luigi managed to keep his balance and used the momentum from getting back up to tackle Dark Mario. He zapped Dark Mario with a thousand volts, knocking his opponent unconscious. The block people stared in awe as Dark Mario was powered down to his normal form. He woke up in awe of Luigi's strength.

"I've… been defeated… twice by the same… person?" he asked himself out of breath, "Impossible… Bowser said I was stronger… than my clone… and that my clone… was stronger than his brother… could he have been wrong?" He leaped to his feet and ordered that Luigi be taken prisoner. Luigi wasn't about to let that happen. He quickly zapped half of the crew and knocked the other half into the hole he had created. Then he calmed his mind to power down from Shockburn mode. He gave a thumbs up to the stars and cannons began to fire on the airship from the Observatory.

Luigi jumped off onto the island below as the airship exploded in midair. He saw something golden flying through the stars away from the wreckage, which meant that Dark Mario had survived the wreck and was probably heading back to report a failure. But Luigi now had an understanding about just who was loyal to Bowser now. The block people were against them and that meant…

"Oh no…" said Luigi in shocking realization. He quickly calmed his mind, ignoring the cheers from the penguins, and sent his good thoughts to the bracelet to make a very important call.

"Starlow?" he asked the person on the other end.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi is back in action and has driven Dark Mario away from another galaxy! But now he's come to the shocking realization that maybe all of the block people in the universe are on Bowser's side, which means a certain someone on Earth is not on the good side! And of course, we should all know who that is…**

**Yes! I'm back from camp, and Luigi is back from his illness thanks to some strange lava from Francis the Toad. I got the block people idea being on Bowser's side from Bowser's Inside Story as well, since in that game, neither of the block people, Broque Monsieur and Broque Madame, seem to like Mario and Luigi, but favor Bowser. Therefore, block people must be on Bowser's side!**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas and places belong to Nintendo.**


	37. Another Pack on the Poison Planet

Chapter 37: Another Pack on the Poison Planet

The heroes stayed in the Drip Drop galaxy for the next three days until the water pollution had cleared out and the penguins were able to swim again. Luigi was ultimately down in the dumps from the conversation he had with Starlow. He hadn't spoken for three days; only gone over his thoughts. Starlow had told him that she had heard earthquakes almost every night for the last week. But she also said that they were most certainly not earthquakes. They weren't strong enough to be earthquakes, just barely strong enough to be heard. Luigi had asked her to go check out the underground cavern that he and Peter had fallen into so long ago now. Starlow confirmed that she would before hanging up.

So now, the waters were clear again, but Luigi was down. He knew exactly what Bowser planned to do in the Mushroom Kingdom now. Broque Madame was still underground with the resistance, which was still unaware of her allegiance. They would be wiped out almost immediately, if not both kingdoms in the process, if the amount of troops Bowser had down there was as many as Luigi thought.

"Luigi!" Polari called from the deck of the observatory, "We're about ready to go!" Luigi nodded in acknowledgement to Polari's call and turned to the penguins on the island next to him one last time.

"Remember my request," said the old penguin, "But first head to what is known as the Bubble Breeze Galaxy. There you will find the next person you seek." Luigi nodded slowly and confusedly. How did the old penguin know about his mission even though he hadn't said a word about it to any of the penguins? He clutched the two Power Stars inside of his cloak and they lifted him up slowly and surely until he had reached the deck of the observatory. He waved good bye to the penguins before the observatory blasted off.

* * *

Luigi told Rosalina they needed to set a course for Bubble Breeze and she nodded in agreement.

"That is where the fifth sage, Zachariah lives," said Rosalina, "With his pack of course." Luigi was surprised at the use of the word pack.

"What kind of pack?" asked Luigi in confusion.

"You shall see," said Rosalina, "We shall be there in a matter of moments because of the small distance." Sure enough, after just about five minutes of speed travel, they were approaching a small galaxy composed of one enormous bowl shaped planet. Purple goo leaked off of its sides.

"Poison," Luigi said under his breath. Aside from the poison, because they were approaching from the top so they could summon the light bridge, they saw a very tall mountain and multiple islands, as well as many life sized bubbles floating about, similar to Bubbles' planet in the Bubble Blast Galaxy. Rosalina waved her wand and the light bridge formed. Luigi ordered Danny and Peter to stay back so they wouldn't be in danger of falling in the poison. He quickly dashed down the light bridge to begin his search for Zachariah.

Considering the fact that he didn't know what species Zachariah was, nor if there was life on this huge planet at all, he had no idea what he was looking for as he pushed himself along over the poison in the bubbles. There weren't many hazards above the poison at all on this first set of islands. Each set of islands was enclosed by many tall rocks except for those around the mountain in the distance. Luigi figured that he would search there next since he couldn't find anybody in this set of islands.

When he reached the dead end at the end of the section of islands, he found five sling stars. He figured they would each go to another set of islands, except for one, which would go to the mountain. But the problem was, he didn't know which one to take. They were in a certain star pattern themselves so Luigi figured that they each represented the location of the set that they would take him to. Luigi decided to guess.

He floated himself over to the closest sling star to his left. His bubble popped and he found himself floating inside of it. He spun around and the star launched him out of the first set of islands, but not to the mountain. As a matter of fact, he ended up hanging for dear life on one of the rocks that made up the perimeter of the next set of islands over. The sling star hadn't shot him far enough and he crashed into the top of the stone. He was lucky he had managed to grab on he'd have been a goner.

He tried climbing up to no avail, only sliding down about a foot more to the poison. From that point, he knew he was a goner. If he couldn't climb to the top of the stone, he would plummet right into the poison. But if he stayed still, his muscles would give out. But he tried not to believe it and continued holding on. Twenty minutes passed. Luigi was just about ready to fall into the poison he was so tired. Another ten minutes passed. Luigi felt himself slipping at this point. It was start climbing futilely now or fall into the poison and give up his life. He chose the second option. He let go, relieving his muscles of their pain and fell feet first into the poison… psyche!

Out of nowhere, just ten feet above the poison, something speeding by caught him on his back. Luigi opened his eyes in surprise. He was sitting on something with golden fur and wings. A large furry brown mane was in front of him. The creature turned its head, revealing a face with a beak for a nose and lion's teeth.

"A… a griffin?" Luigi said in shock. He suddenly remembered the conversation he'd had with Daniel about a week ago when they had just left the Good Egg Galaxy for the first time. He'd said that they had relatives in the Bubble Breeze Galaxy.

"What are you doing here?" the Griffin asked angrily, not changing his course. He was heading straight for the mountain.

"I-I was just looking for someone named Zachariah and I ended up on that stone," Luigi replied, "Then I almost fell into the poison when suddenly you came along and I landed on your back!" The Griffin narrowed his eyes at Luigi then turned his head forwards.

"I guess I'll let Chief Zachariah handle you personally," he said without turning back. Luigi's heart skipped a beat. Zachariah was a Griffin? This would be a piece of cake! Well, maybe...

* * *

The Griffin landed himself on one of the many cliffs of the mountain. This cliff sported a cave right in front of where they had landed. Luigi figured that this was where the Griffins lived.

"Go on," said the Griffin, "Or do you wish me to alert Chief Zachariah of your presence?" The Griffin sounded like he still didn't like Luigi very much. Luigi walked forwards into the cave and into the presence of about thirty five Griffins. All of their heads turned as he walked inside. He was followed by the Griffin that had accidentally saved him. The leader at the head of the room raised his head to look at Luigi.

"Who is this?" he asked in a booming voice.

"This is a man who has been looking for you Chief Zachariah," said the Griffin who had saved Luigi.

"What is his name?" asked Zachariah.

"I am Luigi," said Luigi.

"Are you friend or foe?" Zachariah asked bluntly. Luigi found that to be a stupid question. After all, wouldn't everyone answer friend to that even if they were a foe?

"I am a friend," said Luigi. Zachariah glared at him.

"You're a liar," said Zachariah, "Prove your innocence." Luigi was taken aback. He most certainly wasn't lying. Of course, the Griffins didn't know that. How would he prove it? He got a quick idea.

"I know your relatives," said Luigi.

"Which ones?" Zachariah challenged.

"Canzor, Yena, and Daniel of the pack of the Mushroom Kingdom," said Luigi, trying not to sound weak. Zachariah's glare softened but then hardened even more.

"How do I know that makes you not an enemy?" asked Zachariah, "For all I know, you could be their enemy!" Zachariah's glare deepened even further as though he were trying to penetrate Luigi's soul. The other Griffins watched in amazement as the two of them conversed back and forth.

"I promise you, I am not an enemy!" Luigi argued.

"Give me better proof," said Zachariah with a tone of anger in his voice. Luigi frantically searched his cloak for anything that could signify that he was friends with the other Griffin pack.

"Hold on," said Zachariah, "What's that on the back of your hand?" Luigi lifted up his left hand with the bracelet on it.

"No, the other hand," said Zachariah, "The right one." Luigi put down his left and brought up his right.

"Come closer," said Zachariah. Luigi slowly approached the Griffin chief. Zachariah took Luigi's right hand in his paw and looked at its back closely. Luigi breathed a sigh of relief when he realized what he was looking at. He still had the symbol of both the Griffin pack and the Star Cure emblazoned there.

"This symbol can only be given by the bearer of the Star Cure," said Zachariah in amazement, "So you are a friend." Then he raised his voice. "We shall welcome this friend to our pack's quarters!" The Griffins all cheered and the one that had accidentally saved Luigi smiled in approval.

* * *

Luigi stayed a few hours with the pack before he managed to get Zachariah alone to question him in the now empty room.

"So how long have you and the rest of your family been separated?" asked Luigi.

"I left when Canzor and I were both still young," said Zachariah, "I wanted to see all of the worlds, but Canzor decided to stay put and start a pack down on Earth. And he apparently did just that. Ah, I miss them… But as for you, you are the Mage of Thunder are you not?" Luigi looked surprised.

"Uh… yes… I suppose…" said Luigi in surprise.

"Of course," said Zachariah with a smile, "She told me all about you." Luigi didn't need to ask who she was. And even if he did have to, he wouldn't have had to anyways for she appeared out of nowhere and interrupted the conversation.

"Hello boys," said Tanya, "I see that you're back to normal Luigi." Neither of them seemed surprised at all. They were just used to it.

"Hello Tanya," said Zachariah, "We were just talking about you."

"So I heard," said Tanya. She was wearing a purple dress with a light blue bow this time. "Remember what Morton recited in Good Egg," she said, "It is vitally important to know, not just for you, but for the enemy as well." Luigi knew exactly what she was talking about. It was the four shall leave, four shall die, and one shall share his father's grave thing.

"One has already left, and another already died," said Tanya. Luigi went over them in his head. Morton and Lemmy. There was definitely a pattern in there.

"Zachariah, would you mind fulfilling your part of the prophecy?" asked Tanya. Zachariah nodded.

"I would be much obliged," said Zachariah, "Are you ready?" Luigi nodded.

"Look for some of the farthest reaches in the sixth world," said Zachariah. Luigi looked rather confused again.

"You will understand," said Zachariah, "It is only figurative." Tanya nodded.

"And also…" Zachariah reached into his mane and pulled out a glowing Power Star.

"Since my distant relative gave you something, I feel as though I should give you something as well," he said.

"How did you…" Zachariah gestured to Tanya.

"This is why we sages know so much," said Zachariah, "She chose seven of her mother's most trusted friends across all of the galaxies and worlds. We all knew her that way."

"No more talk of my family," said Tanya bitterly.

"I apologize Miss Tanya," said Zachariah.

"Thank you for everything," said Luigi as he accepted the Power Star from Zachariah. He now had three. His electrical powers would be even stronger thanks to the larger amount of energy.

"I will take you back to the observatory," said Tanya.

"One more thing," said Luigi. He pulled out another bracelet from his cloak and gave it to Zachariah.

"Daniel has one of these," said Luigi, "For as long as you trust in your distant relative and have a calm mind, you will be able to communicate through it." Luigi showed the bracelet on his wrist as well.

"You may contact me as well," said Luigi.

"Thank you kindly," said Zachariah, "If I were you, I'd head out to Space Junk, for reasons only Tanya and I know." Tanya nodded.

"Shall we go?" asked Tanya. Luigi nodded and touched her hand. She spun around and they entered interspace.

* * *

Tanya dropped him off behind the kitchen dome.

"Remember Zachariah's words," said Tanya, "For they are true." She twirled and vanished. Luigi walked around to the main deck, when suddenly, Polari rushed up to him.

"Luigi, we have an emergency! Danny's running out of parts to run the engine!" Polari cried, "What do we do? What do we do?" Luigi understood fully what Tanya and Zachariah meant now. They had to get to Space Junk as quickly possible, or suffer engine failure.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi had met up with the distant relatives of the former first Star Cure guardian in Bubble Breeze. But now, the engine of the observatory is about to fail on them and they must take Zachariah and Tanya's advice and head to Space Junk. Will they make it to the galaxy without breaking down? Where and who is the next sage? And why exactly did the old penguin want Luigi to see his cousin in Sea Slide?**

**For those of you who still don't know who Tanya is, I will be revealing it at the end of the story now that many people have guessed her identity correctly. There is a huge hint as to who her mother is in this chapter.**

**Bubble Breeze and Space Junk both appeared in Super Mario Galaxy, one as a hidden block galaxy and the other as the first galaxy visited in its dome. To Pearl0001, I'm afraid I do not watch Star Trek.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	38. A Prisoner is Freed

Chapter 38: A Prisoner is Freed

Bowser paced his throne room, pondering about what he should do next. Dark Mario had returned with the news that the assault on Drip Drop had failed, which of course pissed Bowser off. His mind was so full of thoughts that he didn't even realize that Kamek was standing right in front of him.

"Um… sir?" he asked.

"What!" Bowser yelled.

"Sir," he said, "What is it that we must do next?" Bowser looked like he wanted to kill somebody. Kamek got the message and backed up.

"That idiot plumber is ruining my perfect universe!" Bowser yelled, "I need someone to destroy him! That's what we do next!"

"May I remind you of everything else on your agenda sir…" Kamek was unable to finish due to Bowser screaming his head off. As Kamek tried to carry on a conversation with Bowser, one of the prisoners looked down at the item in his lap. If everything went as planned, it would be his ticket out of there.

"Excuse me…" he said in a soft voice, "King Bowser?" Kamek, Bowser, and the whole kidnapped committee turned to his cell.

"What is it ya weirdo?" Bowser asked in annoyance. The prisoner held up the device that he had been working on painstakingly for ten years.

"I would like to make a compromise," he said.

"What kind of compromise?" Bowser asked in sudden curiousity.

"If I give you this, you give me my freedom," he said with hope in his voice. Bowser and Kamek both walked over to the cell.

"What is that?" Bowser asked.

"It is a device that makes it impossible to escape captivity," he said, "It stuns the captive if they try to escape and has a one hundred percent chance of working. I know because I am the one who invented it."

"Sounds interesting," said Bowser.

"Sounds like he's just trying to escape," said Kamek, "I wouldn't trust this guy your burliness."

"Oh be quiet!" Bowser snapped, "If I have this thing, I can send Turner into the field! That's one more general for our side! And on top of that, we won't have to worry about all of these idiots escaping." He glared down both rows of cells.

"You've got yourself a deal!" said Bowser. Kamek looked displeased but the prisoner smiled weakly. He handed the device over to Bowser and Bowser opened the cell, letting him out. When Bowser and Kamek weren't looking, he raised his glasses and winked three times. Peach got the message; Bowser had been outsmarted… again!

The old man was led to the launch pad, where the Koopa Troop kept their Launch Stars. The former prisoner was pushed over to one by the Sledge Bros that were escorting him.

"Get in!" they yelled.

"Where does it go?" he asked.

"That's none of your business!" said the first one. The man decided it was best not to argue and jumped into one of the Launch Stars, which launched him into outer space. This was it. After ten years, Professor Elvin Gadd was finally free.

* * *

The Comet Observatory just about broke down when they arrived in Space Junk. It was a serene place, with very little harm to see. Much of the galaxy was composed of… well, space junk, from large rockets, to small planetoids made of scrap metal. Danny's jaw nearly dropped when he saw the galaxy and all of the scraps that were in it.

"Oh my gosh!" he cried, "That place looks amazing!" Luigi smiled at his son's enthusiasm but happiness quickly turned to worry when the Comet Observatory lurched in place.

"How long do we have before this thing collapses into space?" he asked nervously.

"I'd say about an hour and a half," said Polari, "Hopefully you guys will be able to find enough stuff to use for the engine by then.

"We'll do it!" Danny cried, "I just know it!" Luigi patted his son on the shoulder and the light bridge was formed again. Peter waved them off as they approached the edges of the galaxy.

Danny began picking stuff up immediately. He was like a kid in a candy shop, just that he wasn't in a candy shop but a galaxy full of stuff that could be used to fix a dying engine. Luigi drew metal things towards them that Danny needed. As they advanced through the galaxy by Pull Star, they found things that were common to the world they knew, like screws, nails, bolts, satellites, and other stuff, to things that looked completely otherworldly. There were metal things that were shaped like all of the strangest things. All of the stuff they found went into Luigi's cloak since it had indefinite space.

"We're going to need to change the fuel as well," said Danny, rubbing his chin.

"How are we going to do that?" Luigi asked.

"Find something to use as a fuel source," said Danny, "What else? There are plenty of fluids that can be used in that way." By now, they had spent about a half hour travelling through the galaxy and looking for stuff to fix the engine. They were now on a small rocket ship just across from a large planetoid that looked like a huge blob of bacteria. A few Pull Star planetoids stood between them and the planetoid.

"What do you think is inside of that thing?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," Luigi replied.

"Let's find out!" he cried.

"How are we going to do that?" Luigi asked. Danny observed the area around them. The Pull Stars faded into silvery and rubbery pods up ahead.

"Maybe we could use those," said Danny. Luigi hesitated before following his son across all of the pull stars and over to the pods on the small slabs of stone floating in space. It took them a few minutes to figure out how to use the pods but they eventually figured out that they had to push their weight backwards in order to launch themselves forwards.

Danny went first. He jumped onto the pod and found it to be surprisingly sticky. He pushed backwards with all of his might and the pod bent low to the ground of the small stone slab. Then the pod sprung forward, flinging Danny across the gap that led to the next slab. Luigi did the same, imitating his son's movements and almost overshooting the next slab because he was heavier.

They did the same for the next few pods until they reached the last one before the giant planet, which looked even bigger up close. This last pod was big enough for both of them and perhaps another, so they both jumped on and pushed back. Then, they released their weight and the pod flung them forwards with full force. They smashed through the outer layer of the planetoid with surprising ease and ended up on the inside, gravity pulling them outwards.

"Wow! That was cool!" Danny exclaimed. Luigi's head spun a bit but he adjusted and looked around. There was a large silk pod above them dripping with a strange green ooze. There were puddles of the ooze all over the planet's inside.

"What is this stuff?" Luigi asked as some dripped onto his hand. He vaporized it with a small but powerful bolt of electricity.

"Hand me that jar we found earlier," said Danny as he observed a puddle of the green ooze. Luigi pulled the jar out of his cloak, still unaware of what his son was doing. Danny scooped some of the fluid into the jar and examined it.

"This is perfect!" he said suddenly. Luigi was confused.

"Perfect for what?" he asked.

"Perfect for a fuel source that's what!" Danny said excitedly, "We just have to get loads of it to the Observatory and switch it out for our regular fuel!" Luigi was awed at how much his son knew about machinery. He wondered where that ingenuity came from anyways.

"But how are we going to get loads of it?" Luigi asked, "It drips out at about two drops every minute!"

"Maybe the pod is full of it," said Danny, "We'd just have to blow it to pieces. And all of it would come out. But first, we need to set things up. We need two really long tubes and the observatory over here."

* * *

Within the next twenty minutes, everything was set up. They had two tubes set up from the silky ball, to the Engine Room, to the empty rocket they had been on earlier. Luigi and Peter were down on the planet with the silk ball, while Danny was back up at the Engine Room with Gearmo, making sure the transfer went smoothly.

"Alright then," said Peter, "Let's break this puppy!" Luigi jumped into one of the sticky spots on the web and Peter pulled him back as though he were in a slingshot. Then Luigi, charged with about a thousand volts around himself. The pod was smashed into bits, but no fluid came out. In place of the pod, was an enormous three eyed spider, with six spouts dripping with the green ooze on its sides and green ooze dripping from its mouth. Peter's jaw dropped in awe. Luigi's eyes went wide at his opponent. It was the space spider, Tarantox.

Tarantox began squirting the green ooze everywhere so Luigi and Peter had to run for their lives. There were large rocks all along the perimeter that they were running on that they had to jump over. Luigi tried hiding behind one of them but Tarantox found him easily because of his three eyes.

"We need to disable those eyes!" Peter yelled.

"I'm on it!" Luigi yelled back. He stopped for a split second to fire a bolt of electricity at the spider but it didn't work very well as it was caught in the web and went haywire along the threads that the web created. Those threads happened to be connected to the rocks and the electricity blasted into them, blowing them to pieces and revealing coins and something else hidden beneath them. Luigi happened to trip over it. He plucked it out of the ground and recognized it almost immediately. Then, he squeezed the stem.

Peter stopped to take a breath. He looked around the planetoid to search for Luigi but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Uncle Luigi!" he called, "Where are you?" He didn't have time to get a response for at that moment Tarantox began spitting the fluid again and he had to run. Suddenly, he bumped into something, but there was nothing in front of him.

"What's there?" he asked in panic. He felt himself being pushed away from the ooze and out of its range.

"You mean who's there," said a voice from next to him.

"Luigi?" Peter asked in disbelief. Somebody ruffled his hair and then he felt them run away from him back into range of the giant spider. Peter understood now. Luigi had found something and it made him invisible.

* * *

**A/N: Professor E. Gadd is free from Bowser's grasp! He's already been introduced, but a lot earlier than this if you were keen enough to notice. And Luigi is currently squaring off against Tarantox, the evil space spider on their visit to Space Junk to fix up the Observatory. But something has turned him invisible. Is it an advantage, or a disadvantage? What happened to E. Gadd after he was launched? What does that invention of his really do? And will Luigi survive the battle with Tarantox and find a way to transport the fluid to the Observatory?**

**Space Junk appeared in Super Mario Galaxy as well. In this adaption, I followed the flow of the third mission of Space Junk, where Tarantox is actually the boss. The reason that Luigi is invisible was also originated in another game, but that won't be revealed until the next chapter.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	39. A Victory, A Leaving, and A Discovery

Chapter 39: A Victory, A Leaving, and A Discovery

Peter couldn't see where his uncle was, but he knew that he was there. Luigi had mysteriously turned invisible and was now battling Tarantox that way. He completely understood the advantage here as well. Before, Tarantox's three eyes prevented them from hiding. Now that Luigi was invisible, the spider couldn't see him.

Luigi was busy trying to tangle up the spider's legs, but couldn't figure out how he was going to do that. He had already tried to use the webbing that it he was sitting on but the goo was apparently acidic and burned right through. Luigi resorted to the last thing he could think of; electricity. He evaded a few more goo blasts and jumped onto the spider's back. Unfortunately, at the same time he felt the effects of the item he had found, a Power Flower, begin to wear off.

Tarantox saw Luigi's form shimmering on his back. Luigi had to work quickly. He focused his mind and readied a blast that would be sent straight into the spider's head, but the effects wore off entirely before he could release it and Tarantox shook him off, causing him to hit the webbing . Tarantox seemed slightly stunned by the sudden electric shock on the intricate webbing net. Luigi saw what he had to do.

He flung a ball of compressed electricity at the center of the web, right under Tarantox's belly. The web was immediately brightened by the light of the electricity and Tarantox was shocked fully. Tarantox's eyes closed and he fell unconscious. The goo stopped flowing from his pores and a slow trickle began to come from his mouth. Peter came out of his hiding spot.

"Is he… dead?" he asked.

"I really don't know, but let's get the tube onto his mouth and get out of here!" they did just that. They brought the fallen tube to Tarantox's mouth and jammed it onto it.

"The vacuum mechanism will make it go faster," said Peter, "Let's go!" He held onto Luigi's arm and Luigi used the Power Stars to rocket back up to the Comet Observatory.

Within the next half hour, Danny had completed the fuel exchange with Gearmo's help and they were ready for smooth sailing again.

"That went over relatively well," said Peter as they left the Engine Room.

"Yeah," said Luigi, "If I hadn't found that Power Flower, we would've been goners!"

"Where did you get all of these weird powers anyways?" asked Peter. Luigi began to tell Peter about all of the adventures he'd had and all of the powers he had acquired along the way, being sure to tell his nephew that his brother was usually the star of the show. At the moment they had no clue where they were headed and just hoped that it was somewhere useful, so for the moment, they kept it off their minds and enjoyed yet another victory.

* * *

Bowser contemplated what he had done recently. Dark Mario had failed multiple times, Mario was still being fed sandwiches once a day, and he was still one hundred percent angry at Luigi. Thus, he had sent Roy out to take care of the plumber. If anyone could take him down, it was Roy. The Koopa King didn't want to risk losing Roy as he did Morton, but if it was to destroy Luigi, he would totally do it.

He looked around menacingly at his prisoners. The device he had been given by E. Gadd was positioned at the top of the room, ready to stun anybody that tried to escape. Despite insistence that he not use it by Kamek, he had put it up anyways.

There was too much that had to be done. Luigi having to be destroyed, the prisoners having to be watched, and making sure galaxies stayed in check all filled Bowser's heavy schedule. It was hard to be king of the universe. Roy had taken most of the fleet with him as well as Pyrux and Dark Mario and only a few ships remained in the docks, including Bowser's destroyer that he took out only when necessary. Unfortunately for him, something big was about to happen that he most certainly wasn't ready for.

Out of nowhere, Friese and Hambro burst into the room.

"King Bowser! One of the airships is missing from the docks!" Hambro yelled.

"So? A lot of airships are missing from the docks," said Bowser, "That's because Roy took them."

"No, this is one of the smaller ones, the ones that Roy didn't take!" said Friese. Bowser rolled his eyes.

"You worry too much," he said, "Even if it was stolen, we have plenty more to go around."

"Yeah, it was stolen all right, but you'll flip as soon as you find out who stole it," said Friese, folding his arms. Bowser got up from his chair.

"Hambro, stay here and watch the prisoners," said Bowser, "I've got to see this." Hambro saluted and Bowser and Friese left the room to go check the docks.

When they arrived, they found that indeed one of the smaller ships was missing, and there was a note attached to the post it had been tied to. Bowser read it and his eyes widened. He dropped the small slip of paper with his jaw dropped.

"See, I told you," said Friese. This is what the note said:

"Dear 'King' Dad, As I said before, I knew you were bad at keeping promises, but this is just ridiculous. I specified to you four days ago that Shelly and I were the only ones whose request hadn't been granted and yet you still ignored us. You were too busy trying to destroy your current arch nemesis, that being Luigi. Well I'll tell you something. Shelly and I are leaving. We're through working for you. I know this hurts you, but that's what I want. Revenge. You hurt me and now I'm hurting you by leaving. Tell Larry I said good bye. And don't bother looking for us. Congratulations because you just lost your mechanics expert. Sincerely, Iggy Koopa."

Bowser almost cried. Friese stepped back knowing that Bowser was about to do something insane. Bowser's teeth gritted fiercely and then he opened his mouth wide and began breathing fire everywhere. Friese began putting out the fires immediately with his snowballs. Bowser fell to the ground unconscious. Friese walked over to him. His eyes were stung with tears. Friese was beginning to believe that strange prophecy that had been floating around the castle. Four shall leave, four shall die, and one shall share his father's grave. It almost seemed to Friese that they were on the losing side.

"All your fault Luigi…" Bowser mumbled in his sleep, "It's all your fault…" Friese pulled out his radio and called for a couple Sledge Bros. to take Bowser back to his room. He hoped as he put it away that Roy would be okay with Pyrux and Dark Mario. That prophecy really didn't sound too good on the Koopa's side of things.

* * *

Professor E. Gadd woke up in a strange place. Of course, in this universe, what wasn't strange? He appeared to be a on a planet with a very tall tower. It was completely dark all around him until suddenly, lightning flashed and lit up the whole planet. He was able to see a path into the tower. Perhaps he could use it as a place to stay for now. He quickly pulled out a flashlight and lit up a little of the path when the lightning flashed again, showing him the path and then darkening again.

Eventually, after about ten minutes of trying to figure out how to maneuver using the lightning's flashes, he finally reached the door. He slowly opened it and walked inside. It shut itself behind him. Now that he was inside, he found that it looked more like a hotel than a tower. He walked himself over to the other side of the room, where there was an opening in the ceiling.

"Now I wonder what's up there?" he asked himself. He moved the nearby couch under the hole and began jumping on it. It bounced him pretty far up and he managed to bounce high enough to grab the edge of the hole and pull himself up.

On the next floor, he found a few mechanical appliances and set to work on creating a jetpack of some sort. He created one quicker than any other human probably could (except for someone we know) and blasted himself up from floor to floor. Eventually, he reached the top of the tower where he discarded the jetpack because it was out of fuel.

He was now next to another Launch Star. He looked at the blue light that traced the Launch Star's path and found, when the lightning flashed again, that it ended on a strange set of stone platforms that formed a maze. There was also a hole in the roof here too. He was about to just jump up to the roof, but something compelled him to go to the Launch Star instead. He took the Launch Star and it launched him all the way to the stone maze just as he had expected. It was dark here as well though so he waited for the lightning to flash. When it did, E. Gadd could have sworn he saw something on the path.

He began walking along the path, which he had memorized when the lightning flashed, slowly and cautiously. Then he felt something tap his shoulder he turned just as the lightning flashed and saw nothing. Now he was shaking. He had never been one to be afraid of ghosts, but in this darkness where lightning only flashed every five seconds and only lasted one, he had reasons. There was another tap on his shoulder and this time, he whipped out his flashlight and shone it on whatever had tapped him. Just as he had suspected, it was a Boo and it was cowering from the light.

"What do you want?" asked E. Gadd.

"I'm only here because I live here," said the Boo, covering his eyes, "Please get rid of the light!" E. Gadd put away the flashlight so that the Boo would look up.

"There," said E. Gadd, "Now where am I?" The Boo perked up.

"This is the Flash Black Galaxy!" he said, in a prideful voice. The lightning flashed again and he disappeared for a second before it came back when the galaxy darkened again.

"Sorry," he said, "We automatically slip out of existence when the light flashes. Then we come back."

"Are you sided with Bowser?" asked E. Gadd.

"Who's Bowser?" the Boo asked, clearly confused. Lightning flashed again. E. Gadd breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness," he said.

"Wait, who is Bowser?" the Boo asked as he returned, as though expecting an answer. E. Gadd saw this as a chance to get the Boos to side with him. He told them that Bowser was the evil dictator of the universe and he had been taking over everything he could find, in small increments of course, since the Boo kept disappearing when the lightning flashed.

"He sounds mean," said the Boo.

"He certainly is mean," said E. Gadd, "He took me, and many of my friends, prisoner. I managed to bribe him in order to escape and that's how I ended up here."

"I see…" said the Boo, "Well, for as long as you're here, I think we can give you a little shelter and food and stuff like that. You see, we Boos of Flash Black are…" Another bolt flashed. "… very peaceful. We associate with lots of… people and give shelter to lost souls. But you'll have to… get rid of that flashlight because we don't like light and my… friends don't take too kindly to light users."

When the Boo returned, E. Gadd answered.

"Thank you very much," said E. Gadd, "Do you live in the tower?"

"… No, we live at the end of the maze," he said, "Follow… me!" E. Gadd followed the Boo as he went along, having to remind the ghost three times that he couldn't fly as the Boo led him over large gaps. Eventually they reached the end of the maze of stones.

"Alright, stand back," said the Boo. He let a bolt of lightning pass before chanting something in broken increments due to the lightning. When he was done, a white portal opened. Two flashes of lightning lit up the portal and the Boo motioned for E. Gadd to follow. E. Gadd dropped his flashlight into the void and did so.

When they stepped through the portal, they found themselves in a strange world that appeared to be in between light and darkness. There were Boos everywhere, frolicking around and being the ghosts that they were. There was no lightning yet it seemed to be a world mirrored from the world on the other side of the portal.

"Welcome to the Flash Black dark world!" said the Boo that had led E. Gadd there. The rest of the Boos flocked over to them.

"Who is this guy?" one of them asked.

"Is he a light dweller?" another asked.

"Everyone calm down," said the E. Gadd's guide, "Yes he is a light dweller, but he means us no harm. He was merely lost in the light world. Can I get someone to help him out and explain what our world is?" One of the Boos raised her hand.

"Of course," said the Boo, "Selphy, you can show him around. Everyone else can disperse." All of the Boos left except for Selphy.

"I suppose this is your first time visiting a dark world hm?" she asked. E. Gadd nodded.

"It's fascinating," he said, "There is no light, and no darkness either. Just somewhere in between those two. And apparently Boos can survive in it."

"Of course," said Selphy, "The dark worlds were created by the boos to frolic in so that they didn't have to experience the light. As such, we are the only ones that let people get in or out. Dark worlds are also only limited to single areas, such as this galaxy. So the dark world's boundaries would be the boundaries of the normal Flash Black Galaxy." She led him across the stone floors of the mirrored maze.

"So this is basically the Mirror World?" asked E. Gadd.

"Oh no, of course not," said Selphy, "This world is simply a world that we Boos created to enjoy. It is not accessed through mirrors."

"Oh, okay," said E. Gadd, "Just reminiscing of stuff that's happened before." E. Gadd was really remembering the incident that had happened ten years ago, long before Bowser took over. There had been a great evil being who wanted to take over both the real world and what was known as a Mirror World, but the Mario Bros with the help of many others had managed to put a stop to him.

"This way please," said Selphy as E. Gadd brought his thoughts to a close. He followed her to the other end of the maze, where he had started in in the real world. There they found the most amazing sight E. Gadd had ever seen.

"What is it?" he asked in amazement.

"This is an ancient artifact that we Boos of Flash Black were asked to protect," said Selphy, "It was given to us by an old friend who has since passed on. He was the first besides us to discover our dark world."

E. Gadd continued to stare at the beauty of the artifact that was in the pedestal in front of him. It was a lustrous green staff, radiating with energy. There were two prongs sticking out on either side bent slightly upwards. A third prong stuck out straight at its top. On each prong there was engraved a symbol. The one on the right had three intertwining circles, the left had four ellipses forming an "x" shape, and the top one had a rhombus with a circle at each vertex.

"What is it exactly?" asked E. Gadd.

"It is the staff of the mage," said Selphy.

"The mage?" asked E. Gadd.

"Yes," said Selphy, "The Mage… of Thunder."

* * *

**A/N: Longest chapter yet! Our heroes are now simply floating through space, resting up before finding out who the next sage is. Bowser has sent Roy after them alongside Dark Mario and Pyrux, and we've learned that E. Gadd is in the Flash Black Galaxy's dark world; and he's found the staff of the Mage of Thunder! Are the clues starting to make sense now? There will be two more hints however before Luigi figures it out. And Iggy and Shelly have left Bowser's side! Three have left… the prophecy is starting to take its toll on the Koopas… **

**What will happen when Roy finds our heroes? Where did Iggy and Shelly go? And will Luigi, the Mage of Thunder, figure out the seven clues when he gets the rest? **

**The staff of the mage is meant to look like Phantom Ganon's staff from Ocarina of Time with a few extra details added. Shout out to Pearl0001 for giving me the idea of the Power Flower use. And thanks to the rest of my loyal reviewers for supporting me. The story is still quite far from over. **

**This marks forty chapters! I can't believe the story has made it this far. And the reason I haven't been updating as fast as I used to is because I've been posting a lot of other stories lately and have been wanting to work on all of them. As a result, updating is getting slow for me. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	40. Assault on the Observatory

Chapter 40: Assault on the Observatory

It had been decided that the heroes on the Comet Observatory would take a well-deserved break for the next few days. They had been working at finding and figuring out the clues from the sages for two or maybe even three weeks now. They'd lost track of time. But even in their break time, Luigi was busy trying to figure out the clues. He already had five. He only needed two more before Tanya guaranteed that he would know where to go. He knew because Tanya had visited him before he went to bed on the day he beat Tarantox. And another visit from her was about to haunt him.

Luigi was sitting on top of the library building, scribbling in a notebook Polari had given him furiously, trying to use memory and logic to figure out where the clues led. So far, he had both things he sought after in the same place, where light was scarce, a lightning lit world hanging in space, stars forming Thurius's lightning, and the farthest reaches of a sixth world. He just couldn't make sense of it.

"Trying beforehand to figure it out is useless," said a voice from behind him.

"I just want to know sooner," said Luigi, knowing that Tanya was behind him, "My brother and wife are in danger for as long as they are under Bowser's supervision." He turned around. She was wearing a red dress with a green bow tied around her waist.

"I know you wish to rescue them," said Tanya, "But it is futile to rush things, even after you have all seven clues."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Luigi.

"Even more time will be lost learning what you must learn," said Tanya with worried eyes, "Even I fear what might happen while you are training, though I know it all." Luigi didn't like the sound of Tanya being afraid of something that would happen since she knew everything that would happen.

"What's going to happen when I find the staff?" asked Luigi.

"That is for me to know… and you, to find out," said Tanya, "Be aware of this; two more have left the side of evil, and another will die today." Luigi shuddered just thinking about the strange prophecy that had been recited many times. He now knew that three had left, and still only one had died. All of them he assumed were Koopalings. He somewhat hoped he was right.

"Who has left?" asked Luigi, "And who is going to die?" Tanya just shook her head and twirled. Luigi was left without an answer. But what he was left with caused him to stand up and narrow his eyes. He saw in the far distance an enormous fleet of airships.

"Oh boy," he said to himself. He jumped off of the top of the library quickly and ran over to get a closer look, breezing by Rosalina and Polari in the process. It was a fleet of airships alright, and they were headed straight for the observatory.

"Guys, you may want to see this!" Luigi yelled. Danny and Peter were already coming down from the Engine Room where they had been playing Go Fish with Gearmo and a Luma and they rushed up to Luigi just as Rosalina and Polari were coming over.

"Oh no," said Peter, "What do they want now?"

"Probably to destroy us," said Luigi nonchalantly, "Let's give them a fight they'll never forget." Danny nodded and headed back towards the Engine Room panel. Peter went to go get his pen from the Bedroom dome. Luigi just stared at the fleet, searching for whoever might be leading it. Then he found that person. It was Roy.

"Of all of the Koopalings it had to be him," said Luigi to himself. The cannons began to fire at the distant attackers. The fleet seemed unfazed however and continued forward, despite the loss of a few ships. As Luigi looked further, he saw the Dark Mario was also among those attacking, as well as the Fire Bro named Pyrux.

"This is going to get very interesting," said Luigi. He summoned the power of the three Power Stars in his cloak and began to float off of the ground.

"Tell Peter to catch up," Luigi told Polari and Rosalina, "I'm going in." And with that, he flew off towards the airship fleet.

* * *

Within a few minutes, Luigi had reached the fleet and destroyed the whole front line. Roy had most certainly noticed him by now and ordered all attention on destroying him as they approached the starship. Luigi blew through countless enemies as the airships drew closer to the starship. Even with the cannons firing on and sinking ships into space, Luigi was having a hard time keeping up with all of the enemies.

Eventually, Luigi reached Pyrux's ship. He quickly blew away all of the minions and faced the Fire Bro one on one. The Fire Bro began firing fireballs at him (no surprise to Luigi) and Luigi dodged all of them charging his energy through the Power Stars in his cloak. He then unleashed a lightning bolt from his hands and knocked Pyrux all the way to the back of the fleet. Then he zapped the ship he was currently on and it fell through space as he jumped up to the nearest ship.

He suddenly saw a ship explode in a flurry of wood and Peter jumped onto his current ship with him. Peter smiled and withdrew his bazooka, drawing his staff for close range. They began to take down the enemies together and blew a few more ships to pieces with lightning and found that they were close enough to the Comet Observatory to board it. Luigi and Peter realized too late this fact and saw that the Lumas were freaking out and running from Bowser's minions on the deck of the starship.

"We have to go help them!" said Luigi.

"I'll go!" said Peter, "You take care of the rest of the airships!" Luigi nodded and Peter used the airships to get to the front of the fleet so that he could re-board the Observatory. Luigi continued forward and once reached what he thought was the center of the fleet, he brought down a lightning bolt of enormous proportions onto the fleet. The entire center was destroyed and Luigi hung on to one of the ships on the right side. That tired him out however and he had to wait a few seconds before pulling himself onto the deck of the ship. Unfortunately, it was the deck of Dark Mario's ship.

"So we meet again," said Dark Mario with an evil grin, "This time, things will be different."

"We shall see," said Luigi, charging his electricity. He had to find whatever storeroom Dark Mario hid his supplies in. Perhaps if he could find that…

He didn't have time to think further because Dark Mario had already charged at him. He sidestepped out of the way and zapped his rival. Dark Mario turned unfazed and began trying to tackle him to the ground. Luigi once again zapped him but again, he seemed unfazed.

"What happened to you?" asked Luigi as he was backed up to the back of the ship. Dark Mario pulled on his clothing. It stretched and went back to normal.

"Rubber," said Dark Mario. He charged forward so as to knock Luigi off of the back of the ship but Luigi front flipped over his head and kicked him in the back, almost making him lose his balance. While Luigi was distracted, he quickly looked for anywhere Dark Mario could have hidden Power ups. He found it quickly beneath the deck of the ship and took a Cloud Flower, a strange little flower that could let the bearer summon clouds, in his hand. Dark Mario turned and his eyes went wide. Luigi grinned and clutched the stem of the flower, shutting the compartment in the process.

Immediately, Luigi's clothes changed to cloudy and cotton like material and made him look like a walking cloud with a green shirt and white overalls on. Three strangely black clouds with white, smiling faces floated behind him. His cloak had turned as white as his clothing.

"How are you to beat me like that?" Dark Mario asked, trying not to sound nervous at the sight of the black clouds.

"Ever heard of a thunderstorm?" asked Luigi. He back flipped into the air and spun around, causing one of the black clouds to grow to full size. Luigi directed the cloud over Dark Mario and snapped his fingers. Immediately, a bolt of lightning shot out of the cloud and zapped his opponent, frying the rubber clothing and knocking Dark Mario unconscious. Luigi jumped off of the cloud and kicked Dark Mario up onto the front of the ship, where he was tied to a wooden mast. Then he summoned another cloud and directed towards the back of the fleet, where he saw Roy and Pyrux watching him furiously as he blasted lightning down on each and every ship. One by one they all went down. When most of them were out of the battle, he directed the cloud to the back of the fleet.

"No matter how many times you destroy that fleet Luigi, my dad can always bring it back," said Roy as Luigi came within earshot. Luigi jumped off of his second cloud and readied his third in case Roy and Pyrux attacked..

"We'll see if he's even in the mood to," said Luigi. He looked Roy straight in the eye.

"I'm sure you've been told about the prophecy correct?" asked Luigi.

"So what about that?" asked Roy, "Of course I've heard about it."

"Four shall leave, four shall die correct?" said Luigi, still glaring straight into the Koopaling's eyes.

"Yeah," said Roy, "So?"

"Three have left already and one has died," said Luigi, "I suggest you leave now if you want to survive."

"Oh please," said Roy, "Ludwig and his hoo-hah. He's got too much on his mind. If he managed to convince you of that stupid hoax… well, you really must be stupid." Luigi shot a bolt of electricity at him. Roy dodged it and it hit Pyrux, knocking him unconscious.

"You don't play nice," said Roy, "I like that." He brandished his wand at Luigi and then fired a few blasts of pink magic at his enemy. Luigi deflected them all with the power of the Power Stars. Then he charged forward and kicked Roy in the stomach. Roy doubled over in pain and jumped back.

"You'll pay for that!" said Roy. He shot rapid fire magic fire at Luigi, and Luigi zapped it all away, charging forward and again. Roy thought he was ready this time and opened his arms for a judo-like move, but Luigi jumped into the air and spun his last cloud right above Roy's head.

"Say goodnight!" said Luigi snapping his fingers. Roy was blasted with a ton of electricity, knocking him almost through the floor of the airship. He was pretty close to going all the way through the body of the flying ship. Luigi suddenly noticed that Pyrux was gone. He looked around and saw that Pyrux was all the way over where Dark Mario was and they were flying the airship that he had tied Dark Mario to towards him and Roy. Luigi prepared another lightning bolt to strike them but Pyrux fired a fireball at him before he could, knocking him off of the cloud and eliminating his Cloud Flower abilities.

Luigi fell to the deck just as Dark Mario and Pyrux were arriving, singed from the many volts of electricity that Luigi had used on them. Luigi heard more footsteps behind him and found himself surrounded by the three different enemies. He looked around, trying to decide who to attack first. All three of them charged at him at once. Luigi panicked.

He jumped into the air and unleashed a supercharged blast of pure electrical energy. Everything within fifty feet was completely destroyed. When the light cleared, Dark Mario and Pyrux were flung to another airship and Roy was nowhere in sight. Luigi fell onto a stray piece of wood floating in space nearby. It miraculously floated in the direction of the Observatory.

The Power Stars seemed to sense his pain and floated him gently over to the Comet Observatory. As Luigi blacked out, he saw that Pyrux and Dark Mario were gathering the troops from the Comet Observatory onto their single airship in fear of what Luigi might do next and fleeing. Luigi landed on the deck of the observatory and passed out.

* * *

**A/N: A whole chapter of battling between the Koopas and the heroes! Roy is gone from a blast of electricity! Dun-dun-dun! Is he dead? Or is he just lost somewhere in space? Those are stupid questions I know… What will happen next? What did Tanya mean when she said that rushing to get the hints is futile? And who will be the next victim of the prophecy?**

**The Cloud Flower was a Power up in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and a personal favorite of mine. Bet no one could have seen it used in this form! How about we call it Thunderstorm Luigi? I'm hoping that Luigi will get to use many of the Power ups before the story ends, and the end, as I said before, is a long ways away.**

**We have hit 100 reviews! This is the first story that I've written that's gotten so many reviews! You guys are all awesome! **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	41. Banishment

Chapter 41: Banishment

Luigi awakened in the bed of the bedroom on the Comet Observatory. Peter, Danny, Rosalina, and Polari were all standing over him. Danny gave him a big hug the second his eyes opened.

"Oh my gosh, I thought we'd lost you that time!" his son cried. Luigi returned the hug and Danny stood up on the floor again.

"How long have I been out? What happened?" he asked.

"Yeah, you've been out for three whole days," said Peter. Luigi's face went ashen.

"You're kidding right?" asked Luigi.

"Nope," said Peter.

"Yes, this time we were afraid we had lost you," said Rosalina, "After all, we saw that enormous amount of energy you released. It almost made the power on the Comet Observatory go out. Luckily the Power Stars weren't damaged."

"Sorry," said Luigi, "I panicked. What happened to Roy? I saw Dark Mario and Pyrux leaving just before I passed out." The room was dead silent for a full two minutes.

"About that…" said Polari, "You… kind of released nearly ten million volts of electricity on that airship back there. Dark Mario and Pyrux were probably not hit directly, but Roy was. There was no way he could have survived that." Again, the room went silent. Tanya's warning had come true. Roy had been the second to die. Who would be next?

"We have to find the sixth sage," said Luigi breaking the silence, "Where are they?"

"That would be kind of hard to explain, since the galaxy they live within isn't exactly easy to get to… it's not exactly a galaxy either…" said Polari.

"What does that mean?" asked Luigi.

"Come with me," said Rosalina, "I'm afraid I must ask the children to stay with Polari."

"But…" Peter shut his mouth. It was useless to protest. Luigi got out of the bed, put on his cloak and boots which were nearby, and followed Rosalina out of the dome.

Rosalina led him to the warp panel that would take him to the Engine Room. Then she led him even further around the Engine Room to a place even he hadn't ever noticed. There was another warp panel around the side of the Engine Room. He followed Rosalina and they took that one to a small, floating, grassy island off a bit to the side in the Observatory's layout. There was yet another warp panel on this small, floating island. They took that one as well and ended up so high up on the Observatory, Luigi would have never noticed from below.

"This is the home of the Garden Dome," said Rosalina without turning around, "Inside is a dais that will take you to the place of the sixth sage. Come." He followed her into the dome. Inside was an amazing landscape that looked too small for the dome itself. But of course, in this universe there was more than met the eye. Sure enough, there was a small mirror perched upon a small rock in the center of many tall stones resembling smaller versions of the jagged ones in Bubble Breeze.

"This is the way to their world," said Rosalina, "A world I'm sure you will remember." Luigi was struck with curiosity at that moment. He wanted to ask how he would remember the world, but Rosalina turned the dais around and Luigi saw his reflection in it.

"Oh no…" he said, "There?" Rosalina nodded.

"Yes my friend, there," she said in response, "As I'm sure you remember, the mirrors were sealed by the seven guardians years ago. I can only open the portal once. Then you must do it on your own to get back. Listen very carefully as I do." She began chanting something. Luigi began to try to remember everything she said until he realized that it was the same phrase over and over again.

"Open the door of reflection again, Open the door of reflection again," were the words she kept chanting. And it was working. The dais had begun to ripple and then through the glass of the mirror, Luigi was able to see it. It was there. And he felt himself being drawn towards it like it was a magnet to his soul. Then, he reached out, touched it, and he vanished into the flipside of the world.

* * *

Dark Mario and Pyrux walked up to the doors of Bowser's throne room on weak knees. This time they were going to get it bad. Roy had vanished without a trace after the battle with Luigi. The fleet had been lost; again. They were covered in burns from the electricity that Luigi had unleashed. They were both thinking different things. Pyrux was thinking of how much janitorial work he would get assigned to. Dark Mario was thinking something entirely different from punishment.

He was questioning his loyalty; what he was made for. He had simply been told that he served Bowser and Bowser alone and he believed that, but was there something more he had been made for? He had after all, just suddenly existed in the middle of Bowser's throne room. He felt himself come into existence on that day, perhaps three weeks ago. But why was he here? Where did he come from? And what exactly was his purpose? They pushed the doors to the throne room open slowly and walked in.

* * *

The second Bowser saw them, he knew it was another failure. But then he looked again and saw that Roy wasn't with them.

"Where is Roy?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"About that…" Pyrux started. Bowser breathed fire at them immediately. They jumped back in surprise.

"You let him die didn't you?" asked Bowser furiously. He looked like he was about to go insane on them.

"You let him die!" he screamed. Pyrux and Dark Mario were too stunned to answer.

"It… it was the power ups sir…" said Pyrux meekly, "He used our power ups against us…"

"Destroy them all!" Bowser screamed, "Destroy them I say!" Pyrux immediately rushed out of the room to deliver the order, apparently grateful to leave Bowser's presence.

"And you," said Bowser in a bit softer voice, though still with intensity at its bottom, "I expected more out of you when you were created. But you've failed too many times! I'm through with you." Dark Mario's head drooped lower than it already was.

"Get out of my presence and get to the prison ship!" Bowser yelled, "I'm banishing you to a distant galaxy where I will never hear from you again!" Two Sledge Bros suddenly burst into the room and grabbed him under the arms. He was dragged from the room, kicking and screaming.

"Hmph," said Bowser, "How much more should I have taken from me? Already three of my children have left me and two have died…" He almost started crying again until he realized that his prisoners were watching him. He straightened up and headed to his throne. Out of nowhere, the device that had been gifted to him by E. Gadd went off and Bowser felt himself get stunned. He was barely able to turn his head and saw that one of the Toad Brigade had pried himself from his cell and was releasing all of the others, from Daisy, to Peach.

"We have to go get Mario!" Peach cried.

"Let's go then!" said the Toad Brigade Captain. Bowser fell to the floor just as they left the room. He breathed fire at the device on the ceiling in anger, realizing that he had been tricked. Kamek suddenly burst into the room.

"Your highness, what the heck just happened!" he cried.

"That stupid device that E. Gadd gave me!" Bowser yelled, "That's what happened!"

"I told you…" Kamek was cut off by Bowser screaming, "GET THOSE PRISONERS!" He decided that it would be best to follow orders and flew out of the room to rally together whatever remained of the troops from Roy's "little" expedition.

* * *

Toadbert broke off from the others as they were running. He had volunteered to get Mario since he was the youngest and smartest. He only hoped he could find the former hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Much to his luck, he found the staircase leading to the lowest levels of the castle and dashed down it. When he reached the bottom, he was confronted with a very surprised Turner.

Mario watched in surprise as Toadbert evaded the Boomerang Bro's boomerangs and managed to knock Turner to the ground. He ran over to Mario's cell and pulled the lever next to it, opening it up. He held out his hand to Mario but he felt something suddenly hit his back. Ludwig walked down the final few steps into the room and helped Turner up. Then he walked over to Toadbert and picked him up by the back of the neck.

Toadbert felt it. This was it. Ludwig was going to kill him right here. He was surprised Mario hadn't moved yet. Maybe they had depraved him of food and he was exhausted. But then Ludwig turned to Turner and said, "I'll take care of him." Turner saluted and went over to shut the cell again. Ludwig waited a few seconds for the bars to close down before ascending the stairs again.

The second they were out of Turner's earshot, Ludwig whispered into Toadbert's ear, "You're friends have been captured and are being taken to the prison ship right now. I no longer serve my father. That was only an act. You must trust me to take care of Mario for the rest of the time I am here and go to safety." Toadbert was shocked at Ludwig's words and couldn't find anything to answer them with.

Ludwig sure enough took him to the airship docks. Over three quarters of them were missing and the Toad Brigade, Peach, and Daisy were all aboard one of them on the other side of the ship from Dark Mario, who was sitting against one wall in chains, crying. Ludwig threw Toadbert onto the prison ship. Then Bowser came down to the docks.

"So you thought you could escape did you?" he asked evilly, "Well I'll tell you something. You can have your freedom! You have no way to stop me now! Your kingdoms are gone from your grasp. My hidden minions there are taking them over again as we speak. No life shall be spared freedom this time around. But with this flimsy little group, I doubt you'll be able to build a resistance as large as they did again! As a matter of fact, I'd like to see you try!" He gave an evil, almost maniacal laugh.

"But first, before you leave…" he pointed at Daisy who flinched, "You will be staying here with me. I still may need you to take care of that stupid green clad plumber." One of the Sledge Bros on the ship pushed her onto the docking area and two more grabbed her by the arms and led her back into the castle.

"She'll have fun in the lower prison level," he said, "And over time, I'll likely add more to their number." He gave another maniacal laugh and gave the signal to leave the docks. He had already had two locations in mind as to where to send the people on the ship. They had been told to the Sledge Bros on board and that was where they were to be taken.

Dark Mario would be banished to the Boo Moon Galaxy while the heroes, at their number of 8, would be taken to a galaxy where he was sure they wouldn't survive; Freezeflame. Ludwig watched nervously as his father laughed his evil and maniacal laugh and as the ship pulled out of the docks and into the depths of outer space.

Ludwig knew what was going on. Roy's death, which he had heard about quickly, was causing his father's first steps into insanity. He had to get Larry and Wendy to leave with him even if the prophecy only allowed one more to do so. Perhaps one of them would survive. That is, if he could get them to come. If not… well, he was going to have to say good bye to them soon. For his plan would go into motion in just three days.

He had been preparing for about a week for this time and he felt ready to leave the castle. He only hoped that the note was still slipped into Toadbert's shirt pocket, for that was his ticket to their trust, if he ever met them on the roads of space after he escaped the wrath of his father's insanity.

* * *

**A/N: Looks like the sixth sage isn't in the material world! Luigi has disappeared into a mirror to look for whoever this sage is. And apparently, the land beyond the mirror is familiar territory for him! And in the meantime, the former prisoners have been removed forcibly from Bowser's grasp, minus Daisy and Mario. And now they are being sent to Freezeflame while Dark Mario is sent to Boo Moon! Well guess who's in Freezeflame that the Koopas don't know about? **

**Where has Luigi gone exactly? Will the former prisoners survive in Freezeflame? Who is the sixth sage? Will Ludwig's plan succeed? Why exactly did Bowser just let the good guys go? And what will happen to Dark Mario?**

**Boo Moon was a galaxy that appeared in Super Mario Galaxy 2. As the name suggests, it is the Boo hangout of the Galaxy 2, just as the Ghostly Galaxy was in the original Super Mario Galaxy. There was a light reference to Poképark Wii in this chapter as well. There is a dais in the Garden in this chapter, just like the dais in the Flower Zone in that game.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	42. The Mirror World

Chapter 42: The Mirror World

Luigi found himself on a high cliff side of a tall peak. He looked around and saw that he was at least a thousand feet up. This place looked like the Thwomp Volcano of the Real World so he figured that was it was called in this world as well. He was able to see everything. He had been in this world before so he knew its properties. This world was a mirror of the Mushroom Kingdom; and by that, I mean to say, it was a complete mirror. Almost everybody from the Real World had a counterpart in the Mirror World.

Everything in this world was opposite. Bowser was a good guy and Peach was evil. There were no Star Sprites, but Moon Sprites. And the whole geographic map was backwards. There were countless other things that were mirrored but those were the main things.

Most things that happened in the Real World also happened backwards in the Mirror World. For example, when the Shroobs had invaded the Real World, they had also invaded the Mirror World, but in the Mirror World, while in the Real World they had been savage and mean, they actually asked politely for a place to stay. The rest was history to the people of the mirrors.

Luigi decided that it was best to put his memories aside and get to the foot of the mountain. His goal was to reach the Lunar Canyon, which was a short distance away and where he figured that he would meet who he wanted to meet. You see, within the Mirror World's Lunar Canyon, a counterpart to the Real World's Star Hill, lived the one person who hailed from the Real World who lived in the Mirror World; Mariah. Luigi knew her from a past adventure he had with Mario.

Luigi took a step onto the mountain's side and found it to be stable. Then he began running down the mountainside at top speed. If he did this, he was sure to reach the Lunar Canyon in just minutes. Sure enough, the second he hit the bottom of the mountain, he couldn't stop. He kept flying forwards at top speed, trying to slow down, and when he actually did reach his destination, he almost fell into it. He was there, the Lunar Canyon.

He looked down into it and saw that there were strangely no Moon Sprites, since this was where they lived. He clutched the Power Stars in his cloak and they began to float him down into the canyon. As he got deeper, he still found no one. He began to worry that Mariah might not be here either. Then he heard a small sound. It was whimpering; the whimpering of a Luma. He touched solid ground and ran towards the sound. It was echoing off of the walls of a tall cave.

Luigi ran inside, trying to follow the Luma's whimpering and found himself in a cavern with a large rockslide covering most of its middle. The whimpering was coming from inside. Luigi charged his electrical energy, being careful not to use too much and released it in the form of a bolt of lightning. It shattered the rocks of the slide and revealed below them a small purple Luma below them. Luigi picked up the Luma in his arms. She was still whimpering quietly.

"Is… someone here?" she asked weakly.

"Yes, I'm here," said Luigi.

"That voice… I know that voice…" she said. She opened her eyes.

"Luigi?" she asked in disbelief.

"Hello Mariah," said Luigi.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, "Are you here to ask of my services?"

"Sort of," said Luigi, sitting down on a nearby rock, "I believe you are the one who is to give me a hint as to where I need to go, not here, but in the Real World." Mariah was silent and shut her eyes again.

"Ah, I see how it is," she said, "My power tells me that you are the one who will save the Real World from intense danger. Your enemy is going insane. He only has four children left and he will use them against you at any cost. However, three of them will die in time, while one escapes…"

"That's what Tanya said," said Luigi.

"So you've met the girl…" said Mariah, "I've known her for far too long."

"Does your future vision tell me where I need to go?" asked Luigi.

"For right now… a dark place on the flipside of the galaxy that you seek," she said, "That is all the help I can give you. Your seventh hint will give you the answer. How much longer must you stay? Not long I assume now that you have the hint that you need. You should be in no rush for your future says that you will be stalled from defeating your enemy for a long time." Luigi remembered what Tanya had said three days ago on the Comet Observatory.

"Tanya said that as well," said Luigi.

"Exactly," said Mariah, "The girl knows her prophecies. She is impressive. Memorized every book of both the Mirror and Real Worlds…" Mariah floated out of Luigi's arms.

"I feel better now," she said, "Thank you for your company. I haven't seen you in over ten years now."

"Yes, I must be going back soon," said Luigi as he stood up.

"There is a mirror over here," said Mariah, "If you wish to go directly back to the place you have been travelling with, you must think of that location while you open the portal. But before you go, I must tell you something: Don't freak out when you get back." Luigi nodded in slight confusion and followed Mariah into the next cavern. Inside was a large, clear puddle in the center of the floor. Luigi touched the water and it rippled.

"Open the door of reflection again, open the door of reflection again," he began the chant, putting everything about the Comet Observatory into his mind. The puddle rippled more and more until it opened up. Luigi stepped into it, waving good bye to Mariah who waved back, and vanished.

* * *

Bowser Jr. stepped off of the airship he had taken around the galaxies for the last month now and saw that the docks were about empty.

"Geez, what did dad do?" he asked himself. He had been on a mission to get all of the block people on Bowser's side. He was pleased by the results. Not one galaxy had refused the offer, some out of fear, and others out of admiration. Every block person in the universe was on standby now. Bowser would be pleased.

Kamek flew into the docks.

"Oh, Bowser Jr. you're back," said Kamek.

"The mission was successful," said Bowser Jr. with a smile.

"Oh, okay," said Kamek, "I'll tell Bowser." He went on mumbling to himself as he circled the docks and flew back out.

"What's up with him?" Bowser Jr. asked himself. Normally Kamek was one to listen to details but now he seemed to be too anxious to even carry on a conversation.

"Well, I'd better go see my sibs," said Bowser Jr. He walked out of the docks and towards the Koopalings room.

When he opened the door to the room, he was surprised to find only Larry, Wendy, and Ludwig inside.

"Hey guys," he said, "Where is everybody?"

"Don't even ask," said Wendy, checking her nails solemnly. Bowser Jr. looked confused.

"Guys, where is everybody?" he asked again, now more worried.

"You don't want to know," said Larry. Bowser Jr. saw that he had been sobbing.

"Oh no," he thought to himself. His legs felt weak. His stomach suddenly felt upset. They couldn't have…

"Ludwig, please give me an answer," he said, almost falling to the floor from dizziness, "Are they all dead?"

"Only two of them," said Ludwig miserably, "The other three left our side." That did it. Bowser Jr. fainted right there on the floor of the Koopalings' room.

* * *

Luigi rematerialized in the Garden Dome of the Observatory. Rosalina was no longer there, causing him to assume that she had left to wait for him. He left the Garden Dome and saw that the Observatory was peaceful and still. It was probably to avoid unsteadying the dais while moving around. He floated down to Engine Room level to say hi to Danny. He poked his head in and found that Danny wasn't there.

"That's funny," he said to himself, "He's always there…" He left the Engine Room level and found that there was no one on the lower level either. Even Rosalina didn't seem to be around. Then he noticed something. The Observatory was battle scarred. They were recent scars too. That meant…

"Oh no," he said to himself. He ran from Dome to Dome and found that there was nobody inside any of them.

"Danny! Peter!" he called. He tried to calm himself down but couldn't stay calm.

"Rosalina! Polari!" he called. Now he was worried. Where was everybody? He ran for the Library and ran inside. There was no one there. This must have been what Mariah meant. "Don't freak out when you get back," were her last words to him. Everyone was gone, and Luigi couldn't help freaking out.

"This is bad…" he said to himself. He was on the verge of crying. He was about to leave when out of nowhere, a small voice piped up from behind one of the bookshelves.

"Dad!" it cried. Luigi turned around quickly and saw that Danny had been hiding back there. Danny ran over and hugged his father tightly.

"Oh Danny, I'm so glad you're alright!" he cried, "What happened? Where is everybody?"

"When you left for whatever place you went, Bowser's armies came and attacked," he said, tears stinging his eyes, "I managed to hide but I don't know what happened to everyone else… I think they were taken…" Danny began to sob. Luigi hugged him tightly and then picked him up. He only hoped that everyone else hadn't been taken prisoner. He carried Danny out of the room and walked towards the bridge. There, he put his son down.

"We'll make it okay?" said Luigi. Danny looked up at his father.

"Okay," he said. Luigi on the inside however, was worrying about what they were going to do and more importantly, about Peter. Peter was family as well and he couldn't bear the thought of him being forced to be a prisoner to Bowser. And he had no clue where he could find the seventh hint or who the seventh sage was either. If only Mariah could have given him a hint…

"We need to figure out where we can go," said Luigi, "Without Rosalina and Polari… how are we even going to run the ship?"

"That's why we have me!" said Danny, "I know most of the functions so we should be fine!" Luigi patted his son on the shoulder.

"I still don't know where you get all of that mechanical genius," said Luigi, "But still, where should we go?"

"Why not go to Sea Slide?" asked Danny, "You did promise that penguin back in Drip Drop you would visit his brother after all…"

"Of course!" said Luigi, "We'll set a course for there."

"I'll do my best," said Danny, "This is for everyone who was taken!" He ran over to the warp pad and Luigi followed. They both ran into the Engine Room and Luigi watched as Danny pressed a few buttons and typed something into the keyboard. Then he pressed the ignition button and they felt the starship lurch.

"We're on our way!" he exclaimed, turning back to his father. Luigi ruffled his son's auburn hair for the umpteenth time. They both walked outside and watched as they travelled as a comet through outer space. Hopefully, they were on the right track.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has received the sixth hint from Mariah of the Mirror World. But now as he returns, he discovers that everyone that lived on the Observatory besides Danny is gone, taken by Bowser. And Bowser Jr. is back from his off screen assigned mission to recruit the block people from the galaxies. Will Bowser Jr. get over the fact that over half of his siblings are gone? And Will Luigi and Danny find out who and where the seventh sage is?**

**I referenced Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time twice in this chapter, once when I mentioned Thwomp Volcano, a location in the game, and the second when I mentioned the Shroobs, who were the main antagonists of the game. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	43. From Good to Evil, and Evil to Good

Chapter 43: From Good to Evil, and Evil to Good

Ludwig paced the floor of the Koopalings' quarters in a nervous wreck. Wendy had been sent out by their father just about an hour ago. He had advised her not to go but she had shrugged him off. He just knew that she wasn't going to be coming back.

"What am I to do?" he asked himself, "I'm going to end up with only three of my siblings left in this universe… why will King Dad not listen to me?" Bowser Jr. was painting a picture solemnly in the corner. He had been crying ever since he got back. It was so hard on him since he was the youngest. Larry was messing with spells on his wand.

Ludwig decided that he would need to take a walk outside for a little bit. His plan was ready to go underway and he could put it into action anytime now; as a matter of fact, it was probably best done now, while Wendy was gone, so that Bowser couldn't send him after the heroes. He left the room before his younger siblings could protest and shut the door behind him.

As he walked along the corridors of the castle, which seemed so empty now that all of the troops that Roy had gone with were gone, he contemplated when he should leave. For ever since Morton's ghost had appeared, he had been stocking up one of the smaller ships with supplies so that he would be ready to leave. He had also perfected a sleep spell, to put everyone in the docks to sleep before discarding his wand and departing.

He fought back tears. He had known this life for twenty three years, as the eldest child of Bowser. He had never expected it to come to this. He had to leave his family, or what remained of it, or risk dying at the hands of the prophecy. But it was more than just the prophecy that scared him. It was the fact that his father was going crazy. He could see it in Bowser's eyes. His mind was no longer stable.

It was Luigi's fault. Ludwig blamed the plumber for everything that was happening to the Koopa family. But his views were about to stand corrected. As he walked into Iggy's old mechanics room, he again felt tears well up in his eyes. He had often come up with plans for inventions for Iggy to make. He fell to his knees crying, something he had never done in his life. Then a hand reached down in front of his face. He looked up to see a girl in a turquoise dress that had an orange bow tied around the waist.

"Get up," she said. He took her hand and did so. She was a good two feet shorter than him, considering that he was an adult now. She looked ten years old and had thick brown hair tied into pigtails behind her back.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Tanya," she responded, "You are Ludwig correct?"

"How did you know that?" he asked inquisitively.

"I know things," she said mysteriously. He realized that she had two different colored eyes. He shuddered at the sight.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I am here to tell you of your role," she said.

"My… role?" Ludwig asked.

"Yes, your role," she said, "Four shall join the mage in defeating the evil king: one, a close relative; two, a traitor to that king; three, a mythical creature; and four, the speaker of the things to come. You are among those who shall help the Mage of Thunder defeat the evil king." Ludwig felt his legs shaking.

"You're saying that I am leaving so that I can help my mortal enemy?" he asked with wide eyes.

"If you wish to put it crudely," she said, "Then yes." Ludwig almost fell over but Tanya held him up. She was surprisingly strong for a young girl.

"You must leave while your sister is still gone," she said, "But before you do anything, go to the prison. There you will witness something very important." She stepped back and Ludwig stood up.

"Seriously, how do you know these things will happen?" he asked.

"Prophecy is a powerful thing," said Tanya, "Remember that…" She twirled and vanished into thin air. Ludwig simply walked out of the room in shock, heading towards the stairs to the prison room instinctively.

Ludwig arrived at the bottom of the large staircase to find that half of the prison cells were occupied. Most were occupied by Lumas, but two of them were occupied by two people. One was a woman Ludwig had never seen before. The second was someone who made his mouth drop open. It was Mario's son, Peter. His head was hung over looking at the ground, and Bowser was in front of his cell.

"So, the son of the former hero of the Mushroom Kingdom arrives," said Bowser. He seemed slightly composed. Other than that, Ludwig could see his hands shaking. Peter said nothing.

"Hambro and Friese did well to capture you all," he said.

"How did you get so many ships when we destroyed so many?" Peter asked without lifting his head.

"It's a little thing called magic," said Bowser, "When you have magic on your side, you can have anything you want!" Peter still didn't look up.

"I'll give you a deal boy," said Bowser, "You work for me, and I give you freedom. What do you say?" Peter was silent for a good two minutes before lifting his head.

"Fine," he said, "Deal." An evil and insane grin crept across Bowser's face. Ludwig quickly snuck out of the room in disbelief at what he had just heard. He had to accept his fate now. With Mario's son on his father's side, Luigi was going to need all the help he could get.

* * *

The stars of outer space faded to a bright blue sky as the Observatory approached the Sea Slide Galaxy. Luigi sat on the edge of the bridge looking forward at the galaxy in front of him. He was worried; worried for everyone who had been taken by Bowser, or his minions, or… whatever! Peter was gone, Rosalina was gone, everyone was gone and he couldn't do anything about it. He almost started crying thinking about what Bowser could be doing to his nephew but Danny came up behind him.

"We're almost there," he said.

"I can see that," said Luigi softly. They were silent for a few seconds as the galaxy got closer.

"Dad, how do you think Mom is holding up?" asked Danny.

"I think she's fine," said Luigi, "But I'm worried for her, and your uncle Mario. And… your cousin…" Luigi fought the tears trying to escape his eyes. Danny could see him trying.

"Don't worry dad," he said, "It's okay to cry. I'm sad too. But we'll pull through. You even said so." Luigi sniffed and turned to look into his son's blue eyes. Danny had grown so much more mature on this journey. Luigi could feel it.

"I did, didn't I?" said Luigi. He stood up and looked at the galaxy that was now below them. Danny pulled out a remote of some sort and pressed a button and the observatory stopped. He pressed a few more buttons and a spiraling light bridge came out of the front of the bridge. Luigi stepped on it in amazement, and found that it was stable.

"I made the whole Observatory remote control," said Danny, "From the cannons to the power to the light bridge. Now let's hurry and get this over with!" Luigi nodded and they both ran down the light bridge down to the circular planetoid below.

* * *

Sea Slide was an amazing place. It was a planet that was basically a ring of water with a few beaches along the way around, an enormous tree, and an enormous tower, as well as a floating egg shaped island in the middle. According to the old penguin in Drip Drop, it was populated by penguins, just like Drip Drop.

"This place looks awesome!" Danny exclaimed.

"Yeah, but where are all of the penguins?" asked Luigi. It was true; there were no penguins in sight. Not even a fish in the water either.

"Where are they all?" asked Danny. They took a few laps around the planet, getting their clothes soaking wet.

"I wonder what happened to them," said Luigi. Danny didn't answer this time. Instead, he stared out into space, literally, gaping at something.

"Dad, look!" he yelled, "We've got company!" Luigi turned to the direction his son was staring. Indeed, there were about five airships coming towards the galaxy.

"Great, is there a place we won't run into them?" he asked himself.

"What do we do?" asked Danny. Luigi electrified his hands.

"We fight of course!" he said with determination. He pulled a stick out of his cloak and gave it to Danny.

"I'm afraid that's all I've got," said Luigi, "Why did I pick that up anyways?"

"I don't know, but it'll do," said Danny. As the airships got within range of the planet, Luigi hurled three balls of electricity at them. They all hit one ship and knocked a hole in its side. The ships hovered above the planet and ropes fell from them. Koopas and Bros began sliding down to the planet. Danny began whacking them away off the planet with his stick while Luigi zapped them one by one. With only two of them, it was tougher than previous fights. Then, off of the largest ship, a Sledge Bro jumped off and stunned them.

Danny was seized but Luigi kicked the Koopas who were seizing him off the planet. Danny jumped off of his father's back and slammed the Sledge Bro right in the stomach with a swift kick. Then he hit it a few times until it was dizzy and pushed it right off the planet. In the meantime, Luigi was busy watching a bunch of Koopas surround him. They all charged at once and he jumped into the air, letting them crash into each other and then zapping them all and turning them to ash.

As he hit the ground he saw that Danny was being pulled to the edge of the planetoid by a large group of Koopas.

"Dad! Help!" he yelled. His voice became muffled after that and suddenly, all of the Koopas fell off of the planetoid. But Danny was nowhere in sight.

"Danny!" Luigi yelled. He ran to the edge of the planetoid but before he could check, someone slammed into the ground behind him.

"Hello there plumber!" said Wendy Koopa. Luigi rolled out of the way before she could push him off the edge. He threw a bolt of electricity at her but she evaded it and shot a razor ring from her wand at him. He blocked it with an electrical force field. Then he rolled around her and zapped her from the back. She screamed and fell to the ground unconscious. Luigi breathed hard. He was about to go back to the edge of the planetoid to see if Danny was there but suddenly, out of nowhere, Wendy jumped up again and charged at him.

Thinking quickly, he sidestepped and grabbed her by the tail as she passed by him. Then he zapped her with all of his might and threw her into the water. He went over to where he had thrown her and saw that she wasn't trying to get back up. He waited a few more minutes and then a few more minutes after that, expecting her to get up and swim to the surface. When she didn't get up after ten minutes he dove into the water and pulled her to the surface and over to the beach. She wasn't breathing. Wendy O. Koopa was dead.

* * *

**A/N: Ludwig has met Tanya for the first time and learned of his destiny to help Luigi defeat his own father. Peter has joined Bowser's side for unknown reasons and Wendy has died from drowning! Oh the irony! Who will be the fourth Koopaling to die? What happened to Danny? What happened to the penguins? And when will Ludwig leave his father's side for good?**

**The reason I say irony for Wendy dying from drowning is because she is the boss of the water world in both Super Mario Bros 3 and New Super Mario Bros Wii. Sea Slide, like all of the other galaxies featured in this story, appeared in the original Super Mario Galaxy.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters ideas and places belong to Nintendo.**


	44. The Final Leaving

Chapter 45: The Final Hint

As Luigi tried to figure out how it made sense that the penguins would keep their Power Stars in the place that the stars allowed access to, the penguins were enjoying their renewed freedom. They were playing around in the water and having short races. Luigi was beginning to get annoyed that they weren't helping him. Only the purple penguin talked to him.

"I don't know what we were thinking either," said the penguin, "Penguru is our elder so we figured it would be best to let him watch over them."

"Yeah, but if he's going to be living in the only place on the planet that has to have Power Stars to access, you'd think he'd leave the Power Stars behind so that you can access it," said Luigi in annoyance. The penguin went silent for another short while. Luigi had considered moving the light bridge to reach the small egg shaped island, but Danny explained that it would take a few days to recharge since it wasn't by Rosalina's magic that he had summoned it, but by machinery.

He wondered how all of his friends from the Observatory were holding up. He was still especially worried about Peter. He knew the boy could probably handle himself, but he still had to worry. Then he remembered something that reassured him. Both of his parents should still have been at Bowser's base. They would at least be together again.

But then he got back to the matter at hand. He was now on the mechanical island of the water pump that could take him to the center island where Penguru resided. Danny was there with him, trying to figure out if there was another way to get the mechanism to run.

"I'm telling you guys, you have to have the power of five Power Stars to get the thing to work," said the penguin, "There's no other way!"

"What if we simulate the power of five Power Stars?" asked Danny as he stood up and turned around, "Would that work?" The penguin thought for a few moments before answering.

"Perhaps," he said.

"Alright then," said Danny, "Dad, this is going to get rough, but get ready to supercharge."

The next ten minutes were a blur. The penguins had all gathered around the mechanism to watch the spectacle unfold. The leader had them all crowd onto the islands around the ring so that if the electricity hit the water, they wouldn't get zapped. Luigi had the three Power Stars out and ready hovering around him. He just hoped he wouldn't have to use too much power. That would knock him out.

"Are you ready Dad?" asked Danny. He had quickly built a hexagonal device that would shield him and the leader penguin from the electrical blast.

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Luigi. Danny turned on the device and a blue shield appeared around him and the penguin.

"GO!" Danny yelled through the nearly soundproof shield. Luigi focused deeply and cleared his mind of everything around him. He felt a void, like nothing. He felt as though he was the only thing in existence. Never before had he focused so hard. Then he drew power from the Power Stars that he didn't feel with him, and which were already hooked to the machine, and unleashed everything he had on the machine.

The whole planetoid was dead silent except for the crackling of powerful electricity. Luigi was fighting the pain inside of him that told him to stop. The machine was at four and a half Power Star power. It needed just a little more juice before it would start working. Luigi worked harder against the will of his mind. The electricity was flying all over the place. The water below was sizzling from the heat of the powerful blast and some was even spilling over the sides.

Then the water pump exploded with a flying river of water. Luigi stopped. He had done it. Though he felt epically tired, he had done it. He had never unleashed so much electricity before, not even when Roy had died. His mind had registered at twenty million volts. He was amazed he hadn't fainted but Danny and all of the penguins were cheering at the sight of the flying river. He gave a weak smile to his son, who kept repeating, "You did it! You did it!"

Danny helped him up and the two of the walked over to the mouth of the water pump which was now fully functional. Son supported father as Luigi climbed up to the edge of the flying river.

"Do you need me to go with you?" asked Danny, now looking up at his father.

"No, I'm fine," said Luigi, though almost stumbling. He ached all over and was deathly tired, but he was okay. The three Power Stars returned to his cloak and gave him a small surge of strength, just enough to step into the floating river and be pushed all the way to the island in the center of the planet.

Luigi almost fell over when he arrived, but someone supported him.

"Hello there," said the person. Luigi looked up to see an old penguin, much similar to the one in Drip Drop, looking down at him.

"Welcome to my humble abode," said the old penguin, "I'm sure my brethren have told you. My name is Penguru."

"Yes, they have," said Luigi. He looked around. The island was beautiful. Though small crabs roamed everywhere, on its top where they were standing, there was a small meadow of flowers. The rest of the island was a beach.

"I came here to check on your galaxy for your cousin back in Drip Drop," said Luigi, "He got worried. I can understand why…"

"Oh, old Pengorno," said Penguru, "He's so worrisome. I'm not much of a threat to Bowser so I'm fine. They didn't even bother looking over on this island when they came last. But enough of that. There must be another reason you're here."

"No, actually there's no other reason," said Luigi, "Except… maybe get the Power Stars… not that I need them anymore now that I'm here…"

"Are you sure?" asked Penguru in interest, "There's nothing else I can do for you?" Luigi thought a moment.

"Well, do you happen to know who the seventh sage who can tell me where to go is?" asked Luigi, doubtful of getting a yes.

"I'm glad you asked," said Penguru with a smile, "Just get the Power Stars first and I'll help you out with that."

"You do know him or her?" Luigi asked. He almost toppled from fatigue but he managed to stand up. Penguru didn't answer until Luigi had grabbed the Power Stars from the orbit around the small island.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do know him," said Penguru, "The seventh sage… is me." Luigi almost fainted but something happened that kept him from doing so. The three Power Stars in the confines of his cloak floated out to join the other two that he had just received. The five Power Stars began to circle around until suddenly, the all shot together in a brilliant white light. When they were able to see again, a Grand Star had been formed.

"No way…" said Luigi. He touched the star and suddenly felt renewed strength.

"Five Power Stars make one Grand Star?" Luigi asked.

"Yep," said Penguru, "Just as five Silver Stars make one Power Star. And as for your hint…"

"Go ahead," said Luigi, "I'm listening."

"This is actually an instruction of what to do after you get there," said Penguru, "Find your fear and it will take you to the place you need to go. There is where the destination which you have sought after for so long."

"But how am I to know where to go?" asked Luigi.

"Think about the hints and about what you know," said Penguru, "I'm sure you remember one of the last adventures you had with your brother." Luigi shut his eyes and let the hints flow through his mind. A dark place on the flipside of the galaxy, the farthest reaches of a sixth world, stars forming Thurius's lightning, a lightning lit world hanging in space, where light is scarce, and both things he sought in the same place. He opened them in sudden realization. It all made sense now. Lightning, light being scarce, a sixth world… it all pointed to one place.

"The Flash Black Galaxy," Luigi said as he opened his eyes.

* * *

As Francis was walking towards the Launch Star for his daily morning walk on Freezy Peak, he thought he saw an airship in the distance. Airships didn't come around Freezeflame very often because it was assumed to be abandoned by the enemy. He thought he saw some small figures being thrown off of the airship towards the ground far below.

"Are they marooning people?" he asked himself. The airship took off slowly into space. Francis jumped into the Launch Star and it fired him towards Freezy Peak.

Francis dashed faster than any other old man could around the planet. He had discovered that the people dropped had all been Toads like himself. They were all fine for they had landed in the snow. He counted eight Toads, seven adults and one infant, who was crying in his mother's arms.

But when he reached the bottom of the mountain, he pulled out a young woman from the icy cold water. She had been there for probably a good ten minutes and Francis would have to use the special lava to warm her back up. The Toads he would leave here for the moment, but the girl needed treatment immediately.

Toadbert woke up to find that he and all of the other Toads were lying in the snow. He ran around and checked everyone. He was relieved to find that no one was dead. They must have all landed in the snow. However, Peach was nowhere in sight.

"Peach! Princess where are you?" Toadbert called. His calling woke the other Toads, except for the yellow one, named Norman, and who appeared to be sleeping normally. They all joined the search for the princess.

"Where could she be?" asked the captain of the Toad Brigade, Steven, after they had returned to the summit about twenty minutes later.

"You don't think…" said the Green Toad, named Benjamin.

"Maybe they left her somewhere else," said Toadbert, "Like… up there!" He pointed up to the lava planet.

"How do we get there though?" asked the captain, "And how do we know they left her there?"

"Who was thrown off last?" asked Toadbert.

"I think Norman was," said the Violet Toad, Michael, "Because when I was thrown off, only Peach and him were left." They all turned to the sleeping Toad nearby.

"Norman!" Steven yelled. He shook the lazy Toad with all of his might, but Norman said something like, "Okay captain… I'll throw the pitcher for you…" and snoozed on.

"I don't think he's waking up anytime soon," said Toadbert.

"Well in that case," said Benjamin, "I think we should focus more on getting provisions and shelter. After all…" The baby started crying again and his mother, Steven's wife, Tilly, tried to comfort him.

"We've got the kid to worry about," Benjamin finished.

"I'll look for shelter," said Steven, "The rest of you look for food and water."

"I've got the food!" Benjamin exclaimed.

"I'll take care of the water!" said Michael. That left Norman, Toadbert, and Toadbert's younger brother, the Blue Toad of the brigade, Gene on the summit of the planet.

"What do we do?" asked Gene. Toadbert touched the Launch Star that was on the summit nearby.

"I think this goes to the lava planet," said Toadbert observing its blue flight path, "I say we take it and see if Peach is up there!"

Toadbert and Gene sure enough ended up on the lava planet. It was definitely a change of climate from the frozen peak below. As they walked along, they avoided lava flows and what both of them remembered to be called Magmaws. Eventually, after a half hour of searching the planet, they reached the other side. They jumped a few platforms floating in the lava and evaded some Magmaws, until they hit the last platform. That was when three Magmaws and a Magmaargh jumped out at them from the lava.

"Oh gosh," said Gene in panic, "Now what?"

"Follow my lead," said Toadbert. He grabbed Gene's hands as they were back to back and begun sidestepping as fast as he could around in a circle. Gene understood his brother's logic and begun to do the same. Eventually, they were moving so fast, that the lava monsters couldn't even get close to them, so they returned to the lava without harming them.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Toadbert exclaimed. They quickly jumped to solid ground, though dizzy and when they had regained their balance, they moved forward. They found that there was someone's house over here, carved into stone. After a few minutes of staring at the door, Toadbert knocked… and Princess Peach answered.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has finally found out where he has to go, and what exactly he has to do when he gets there. And it appears that the good guys have finally been dropped into Freezeflame and some have already met Francis. What will happen to the good guys in Freezeflame? Will Luigi and Danny find their way to Flash Black? And what will happen when Luigi finds what he has been looking for?**

**The entire game of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was referenced in this chapter by Penguru. The five Power Stars coming together thing to form a Grand Star, as mentioned by Luigi and Penguru, did come from the five Silver Stars turning into a Power Star. Pretty clever, huh? Also, I named the Toads of the Toad Brigade because I didn't want to call them by Green Toad and Violet Toad and stuff like that. Here's a rundown:**

**Captain- Steven; Captain's Wife- Tilly; Green Toad- Benjamin; Violet Toad- Michael; Blue Toad- Gene; Yellow Toad- Norman. I do not have a name for the Captain's son yet. We will find that out much, much later. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, places belong to Nintendo.**


	45. The Final Hint

Chapter 45: The Final Hint

As Luigi tried to figure out how it made sense that the penguins would keep their Power Stars in the place that the stars allowed access to, the penguins were enjoying their renewed freedom. They were playing around in the water and having short races. Luigi was beginning to get annoyed that they weren't helping him. Only the purple penguin talked to him.

"I don't know what we were thinking either," said the penguin, "Penguru is our elder so we figured it would be best to let him watch over them."

"Yeah, but if he's going to be living in the only place on the planet that has to have Power Stars to access, you'd think he'd leave the Power Stars behind so that you can access it," said Luigi in annoyance. The penguin went silent for another short while. Luigi had considered moving the light bridge to reach the small egg shaped island, but Danny explained that it would take a few days to recharge since it wasn't by Rosalina's magic that he had summoned it, but by machinery.

He wondered how all of his friends from the Observatory were holding up. He was still especially worried about Peter. He knew the boy could probably handle himself, but he still had to worry. Then he remembered something that reassured him. Both of his parents should still have been at Bowser's base. They would at least be together again.

But then he got back to the matter at hand. He was now on the mechanical island of the water pump that could take him to the center island where Penguru resided. Danny was there with him, trying to figure out if there was another way to get the mechanism to run.

"I'm telling you guys, you have to have the power of five Power Stars to get the thing to work," said the penguin, "There's no other way!"

"What if we simulate the power of five Power Stars?" asked Danny as he stood up and turned around, "Would that work?" The penguin thought for a few moments before answering.

"Perhaps," he said.

"Alright then," said Danny, "Dad, this is going to get rough, but get ready to supercharge."

The next ten minutes were a blur. The penguins had all gathered around the mechanism to watch the spectacle unfold. The leader had them all crowd onto the islands around the ring so that if the electricity hit the water, they wouldn't get zapped. Luigi had the three Power Stars out and ready hovering around him. He just hoped he wouldn't have to use too much power. That would knock him out.

"Are you ready Dad?" asked Danny. He had quickly built a hexagonal device that would shield him and the leader penguin from the electrical blast.

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Luigi. Danny turned on the device and a blue shield appeared around him and the penguin.

"GO!" Danny yelled through the nearly soundproof shield. Luigi focused deeply and cleared his mind of everything around him. He felt a void, like nothing. He felt as though he was the only thing in existence. Never before had he focused so hard. Then he drew power from the Power Stars that he didn't feel with him, and which were already hooked to the machine, and unleashed everything he had on the machine.

The whole planetoid was dead silent except for the crackling of powerful electricity. Luigi was fighting the pain inside of him that told him to stop. The machine was at four and a half Power Star power. It needed just a little more juice before it would start working. Luigi worked harder against the will of his mind. The electricity was flying all over the place. The water below was sizzling from the heat of the powerful blast and some was even spilling over the sides.

Then the water pump exploded with a flying river of water. Luigi stopped. He had done it. Though he felt epically tired, he had done it. He had never unleashed so much electricity before, not even when Roy had died. His mind had registered at twenty million volts. He was amazed he hadn't fainted but Danny and all of the penguins were cheering at the sight of the flying river. He gave a weak smile to his son, who kept repeating, "You did it! You did it!"

Danny helped him up and the two of the walked over to the mouth of the water pump which was now fully functional. Son supported father as Luigi climbed up to the edge of the flying river.

"Do you need me to go with you?" asked Danny, now looking up at his father.

"No, I'm fine," said Luigi, though almost stumbling. He ached all over and was deathly tired, but he was okay. The three Power Stars returned to his cloak and gave him a small surge of strength, just enough to step into the floating river and be pushed all the way to the island in the center of the planet.

Luigi almost fell over when he arrived, but someone supported him.

"Hello there," said the person. Luigi looked up to see an old penguin, much similar to the one in Drip Drop, looking down at him.

"Welcome to my humble abode," said the old penguin, "I'm sure my brethren have told you. My name is Penguru."

"Yes, they have," said Luigi. He looked around. The island was beautiful. Though small crabs roamed everywhere, on its top where they were standing, there was a small meadow of flowers. The rest of the island was a beach.

"I came here to check on your galaxy for your cousin back in Drip Drop," said Luigi, "He got worried. I can understand why…"

"Oh, old Pengorno," said Penguru, "He's so worrisome. I'm not much of a threat to Bowser so I'm fine. They didn't even bother looking over on this island when they came last. But enough of that. There must be another reason you're here."

"No, actually there's no other reason," said Luigi, "Except… maybe get the Power Stars… not that I need them anymore now that I'm here…"

"Are you sure?" asked Penguru in interest, "There's nothing else I can do for you?" Luigi thought a moment.

"Well, do you happen to know who the seventh sage who can tell me where to go is?" asked Luigi, doubtful of getting a yes.

"I'm glad you asked," said Penguru with a smile, "Just get the Power Stars first and I'll help you out with that."

"You do know him or her?" Luigi asked. He almost toppled from fatigue but he managed to stand up. Penguru didn't answer until Luigi had grabbed the Power Stars from the orbit around the small island.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do know him," said Penguru, "The seventh sage… is me." Luigi almost fainted but something happened that kept him from doing so. The three Power Stars in the confines of his cloak floated out to join the other two that he had just received. The five Power Stars began to circle around until suddenly, the all shot together in a brilliant white light. When they were able to see again, a Grand Star had been formed.

"No way…" said Luigi. He touched the star and suddenly felt renewed strength.

"Five Power Stars make one Grand Star?" Luigi asked.

"Yep," said Penguru, "Just as five Silver Stars make one Power Star. And as for your hint…"

"Go ahead," said Luigi, "I'm listening."

"This is actually an instruction of what to do after you get there," said Penguru, "Find your fear and it will take you to the place you need to go. There is where the destination which you have sought after for so long."

"But how am I to know where to go?" asked Luigi.

"Think about the hints and about what you know," said Penguru, "I'm sure you remember one of the last adventures you had with your brother." Luigi shut his eyes and let the hints flow through his mind. A dark place on the flipside of the galaxy, the farthest reaches of a sixth world, stars forming Thurius's lightning, a lightning lit world hanging in space, where light is scarce, and both things he sought in the same place. He opened them in sudden realization. It all made sense now. Lightning, light being scarce, a sixth world… it all pointed to one place.

"The Flash Black Galaxy," Luigi said as he opened his eyes.

* * *

As Francis was walking towards the Launch Star for his daily morning walk on Freezy Peak, he thought he saw an airship in the distance. Airships didn't come around Freezeflame very often because it was assumed to be abandoned by the enemy. He thought he saw some small figures being thrown off of the airship towards the ground far below.

"Are they marooning people?" he asked himself. The airship took off slowly into space. Francis jumped into the Launch Star and it fired him towards Freezy Peak.

Francis dashed faster than any other old man could around the planet. He had discovered that the people dropped had all been Toads like himself. They were all fine for they had landed in the snow. He counted eight Toads, seven adults and one infant, who was crying in his mother's arms.

But when he reached the bottom of the mountain, he pulled out a young woman from the icy cold water. She had been there for probably a good ten minutes and Francis would have to use the special lava to warm her back up. The Toads he would leave here for the moment, but the girl needed treatment immediately.

Toadbert woke up to find that he and all of the other Toads were lying in the snow. He ran around and checked everyone. He was relieved to find that no one was dead. They must have all landed in the snow. However, Peach was nowhere in sight.

"Peach! Princess where are you?" Toadbert called. His calling woke the other Toads, except for the yellow one, named Norman, and who appeared to be sleeping normally. They all joined the search for the princess.

"Where could she be?" asked the captain of the Toad Brigade, Steven, after they had returned to the summit about twenty minutes later.

"You don't think…" said the Green Toad, named Benjamin.

"Maybe they left her somewhere else," said Toadbert, "Like… up there!" He pointed up to the lava planet.

"How do we get there though?" asked the captain, "And how do we know they left her there?"

"Who was thrown off last?" asked Toadbert.

"I think Norman was," said the Violet Toad, Michael, "Because when I was thrown off, only Peach and him were left." They all turned to the sleeping Toad nearby.

"Norman!" Steven yelled. He shook the lazy Toad with all of his might, but Norman said something like, "Okay captain… I'll throw the pitcher for you…" and snoozed on.

"I don't think he's waking up anytime soon," said Toadbert.

"Well in that case," said Benjamin, "I think we should focus more on getting provisions and shelter. After all…" The baby started crying again and his mother, Steven's wife, Tilly, tried to comfort him.

"We've got the kid to worry about," Benjamin finished.

"I'll look for shelter," said Steven, "The rest of you look for food and water."

"I've got the food!" Benjamin exclaimed.

"I'll take care of the water!" said Michael. That left Norman, Toadbert, and Toadbert's younger brother, the Blue Toad of the brigade, Gene on the summit of the planet.

"What do we do?" asked Gene. Toadbert touched the Launch Star that was on the summit nearby.

"I think this goes to the lava planet," said Toadbert observing its blue flight path, "I say we take it and see if Peach is up there!"

Toadbert and Gene sure enough ended up on the lava planet. It was definitely a change of climate from the frozen peak below. As they walked along, they avoided lava flows and what both of them remembered to be called Magmaws. Eventually, after a half hour of searching the planet, they reached the other side. They jumped a few platforms floating in the lava and evaded some Magmaws, until they hit the last platform. That was when three Magmaws and a Magmaargh jumped out at them from the lava.

"Oh gosh," said Gene in panic, "Now what?"

"Follow my lead," said Toadbert. He grabbed Gene's hands as they were back to back and begun sidestepping as fast as he could around in a circle. Gene understood his brother's logic and begun to do the same. Eventually, they were moving so fast, that the lava monsters couldn't even get close to them, so they returned to the lava without harming them.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Toadbert exclaimed. They quickly jumped to solid ground, though dizzy and when they had regained their balance, they moved forward. They found that there was someone's house over here, carved into stone. After a few minutes of staring at the door, Toadbert knocked… and Princess Peach answered.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has finally found out where he has to go, and what exactly he has to do when he gets there. And it appears that the good guys have finally been dropped into Freezeflame and some have already met Francis. What will happen to the good guys in Freezeflame? Will Luigi and Danny find their way to Flash Black? And what will happen when Luigi finds what he has been looking for?**

**The entire game of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was referenced in this chapter by Penguru. The five Power Stars coming together thing to form a Grand Star, as mentioned by Luigi and Penguru, did come from the five Silver Stars turning into a Power Star. Pretty clever, huh? Also, I named the Toads of the Toad Brigade because I didn't want to call them by Green Toad and Violet Toad and stuff like that. Here's a rundown:**

**Captain- Steven; Captain's Wife- Tilly; Green Toad- Benjamin; Violet Toad- Michael; Blue Toad- Gene; Yellow Toad- Norman. I do not have a name for the Captain's son yet. We will find that out much, much later. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, places belong to Nintendo.**


	46. The Destruction of the Hub

Chapter 46: The Destruction of the Hub

The Comet Observatory cruised through space smoothly. After Luigi and Danny had left Sea Slide, they had set a course for Flash Black. However, Danny hadn't been able to pinpoint the galaxy's exact location. That didn't surprise Luigi. It was probably electrical interference from the lightning. The galaxy couldn't be found by computer due to the constant lightning flashes.

"How are we going to find it though?" Luigi asked himself. If the Observatory couldn't find it on the computer, they were going to have to guess. Luigi began to pace the deck back and forth. The Observatory was so quiet except for the running of the engines. It was a lot easier to think, but a lot lonelier as well. Luigi pushed the worries out of his mind so they wouldn't interfere with his thinking process, when suddenly, Danny ran up to him.

"Dad, look at that!" he yelled. Luigi looked up in surprise. Danny pointed him towards a large shape made in the stars in front of them. It looked as though it was a three pronged staff, surrounded in a lightning. Luigi traced it with his finger to confirm and sure enough, that was what it formed.

"That's it!" Luigi exclaimed, "Thurius's Lightning!" The shape was pointing towards east of the direction they were going.

"Follow the path of the constellation!" Luigi ordered.

"Got it!" said Danny. He pressed a button on his remote control and the Observatory turned to the right. Hopefully, the constellation was correct.

* * *

They travelled on for another three hours. Danny fell asleep in his father's lap while Luigi looked to their front to see if he could see Flash Black. They couldn't have been wrong could they? Of course then again, one of the clues did say the farthest reaches of the sixth world. Luigi had figured out what that meant.

Back in the day, when he and his brother used to go on adventures together to stop Bowser, they travelled through worlds upon worlds of places and galaxies. This particular adventure had contained six worlds and they had travelled through all of them to defeat Bowser, even finding a secret seventh in the process. Flash Black was a galaxy of the sixth world in that adventure, though even so, it seemed rather far off from its fellow galaxies, like Slimy Spring and Clockworks, both of which they had passed in the last three hours.

Another half hour passed and Luigi almost officially decided that they were headed in the wrong direction, when suddenly ahead of them, he saw a speck appear.

"No way," he said, lifting his hand to his forehead, "That can't be…" It was. The Flash Black Galaxy was in view.

"Danny, we've found it!" Luigi said, shaking his son awake.

"What…" said Danny. He saw Flash Black as they approached it.

"Oh my gosh, that's it!" Danny cried, "It's just like you described it in the stories!" As they approached, Luigi saw all of the familiar features. The tower and the stone maze were still there. The only thing that worried him was the ghosts, because he knew good and well that there were ghosts in that tower, and maybe everywhere else in the galaxy too. He shuddered. When the Observatory was right over the galaxy was when they realized something important.

"We can't use the light bridge," said Danny in sudden realization, "It still has at least thirty six hours to recharge!" Luigi smacked himself in the forehead. They could've stayed in Sea Slide for a while and waited for it to be recharged!

"So what do we do?" asked Danny. Luigi didn't have time to answer because out of nowhere, a laser hit the ship's deck right next to his feet. As a matter of fact, lasers were hitting everywhere on the ship's deck.

"What on earth…" Luigi held Danny close as he watched something terrible approach them. It was Bowser's battleship that he had used against Sarasaland, and it was firing on them big time.

They didn't have time to react. A laser hit the Engine Room and it exploded. Slowly, the engines began to die down.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" Danny repeated over again.

"Just stick with me!" Luigi cried, to scared to scold his son for language. The Kitchen was hit next, then the Bedroom. The Terrace went up in flames and the Fountain was destroyed. The only things that hadn't been hit were the Garden, and the Gate cottage that was an automatic warp to a small, peaceful planet hovering nearby Earth.

"We're going to have to jump," said Luigi.

"But we're over a thousand feet in the air!" Danny cried.

"Don't panic," said Luigi, "Just trust me!" He picked up his son and jumped off of the bridge.

* * *

They flew towards the ground of the galaxy below. Unfortunately, Luigi couldn't find an exact spot to land since it was totally dark for five seconds and bright for the next. Luckily, he found himself falling towards a large patch of land and ten feet above the ground he reversed the magnetic field. He and Danny ended up floating five feet above the ground, unharmed by the jump. But the Observatory could say less.

As Luigi looked up, he regretted it. Rosalina's poor Observatory was in pieces. The pieces would float to Space Junk in time, but Rosalina would be heartbroken. She and the Lumas were now homeless. But he didn't have any more time to think about it because at that moment the battleship turned its sights on the galaxy. Lightning flashed as he returned the magnetic field to normal and Luigi was able to see the path to the tower doors. If his memory served correct, at the top of the tower there was a Launch Star that would take them to the stone maze far off from the tower.

With that, Luigi grabbed his son's hand as lightning flashed again, revealing his path and evaded laser fire as he ran for the doors, which were surprisingly unlocked. Of course, with haunted mansions, aren't they always unlocked? He pulled Danny inside and into complete darkness until the lightning flashed again. There were holes in the ceiling everywhere.

Suddenly though a flurry of lasers burst through the side of the house and caused the ceiling to shake so they ran under one of those holes so that the ceiling wouldn't fall on them. The lasers did the same thing to the next few floors until Luigi and Danny were standing on the fifth floor on the ground. The Launch Star was at the top of the tower. Out of nowhere, Larry Koopa burst into the tower with a full army of Koopas.

"Hello friend!" he yelled evilly. He fired twelve magic blasts in complete anger at Luigi. Luigi blocked them with a force field and then zapped some of his troops.

"Get them!" Larry yelled. The army charged at them. Luigi again reversed the magnetic field and the whole army floated up into the air, including Larry.

"Why you…" Larry said in pure hatred, "I'm going to destroy you both! You killed three of my siblings and made the other four leave! Now I've only got Junior! It's all your fault!" He looked like he was on the verge of crying.

"I'm sorry, I really am," Luigi started.

"I won't listen to you!" Larry yelled, "Get him!" Lightning flashed on and off as the troops tried to get to Luigi but since they were in the air, it was a lot harder. Luigi had whispered to Danny to start jumping for the Launch Star. Danny was doing so but the enemy hadn't noticed. Luigi was busy trying to take down the force. He wondered if Bowser was on the ship.

"Who else is here besides you?" Luigi asked.

"No one," said Larry, "Just my troops and me. And we're going to destroy you!"

"That doesn't sound too threatening when they are unconscious," said Luigi, pointing out that indeed all of his troops were unconscious due to his electricity. Larry yelled at his wand.

"GET MORE TROOPS!" As he was yelling at the people on the battleship to get more troops to him, Luigi began jumping at the Launch Star, which Danny had already reached and used so that he was nowhere in sight. Larry realized this and jumped after him. Luigi zapped Larry with a few volts to slow him down as he reached the Launch Star. Larry grabbed onto his feet as he entered the Launch Star and realizing that it was about to go off, he tried to shake the Koopa off, but he wasn't able to, being blasted off to the stone maze with Larry literally on his heels.

* * *

Luigi landed face first on the beginning of the stone maze thanks to Larry. As it happened, the tower got destroyed by the battleship because the troops on board saw that their leader got blasted to the stone maze. So the battleship was on its way over right then, firing all the way. Though it was dark, lightning flashed the next second and Luigi saw the path. He zapped Larry again and ran down what he remembered for the next five seconds and then waited for the lightning to flash again. Larry was catching up as the lightning flashed and Luigi continued running away from him.

He got a sudden idea. Luigi looked to the sky and focused his power, willing the lightning to flash faster. Much to his amazement, it did, flashing every other second. Of course, that gave Larry an advantage as well, not just having the battleship firing on them. Luigi was out of breath by the time he reached the dead end at the end of the maze. Larry caught up to him, also out of breath. But the lasers and gunfire were still firing on them from the battleship.

"Will you cut it out and just send some people to me?" Larry yelled at his wand. The laser fire stopped as they both took a deep breath. Then they stared daggers at each other.

"I'm going to kill you right here," said Larry, "And right now."

"_Where are you Danny?_" Luigi thought as he was backed up to the edge of the planetoid. The lightning flashing every second was seriously freaking him out now. He willed it to go back to normal, then regretted the decision. He almost fell off the edge and when he caught his balance again he saw that Larry had another, smaller force facing him. Larry gave a seriously evil grin.

"You're dead Luigi," he said, "You are so dead." Then suddenly out of nowhere, something tapped Luigi on the shoulder. Luigi turned and screamed. It was a Boo and Danny was standing right beside it.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi and Danny have arrived in Flash Black! Unfortunately, Rosalina's Comet Observatory had been annihilated by Bowser's battleship. Hopefully Rosalina won't be **_**too**_** mad… Now Luigi is facing off against Larry and has just met his worst nightmare… a Boo! … standing next to Danny of course who is better than a good dream. What will happen next? Will Luigi find what he is looking for? Or fall of the edge of the stone maze and be forgotten in history? **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	47. A Shocking Twist

Chapter 47: A _Shocking _Twist

Luigi looked between his son and the Boo, and Larry and his force. He wasn't even sure that Danny was really there or not.

"Is that really you Danny?" asked Luigi as Larry tapped his foot on the ground impatiently.

"Yep," said Danny, "Trent here is levitating me." He gestured to the Boo. Luigi almost freaked out again but before he could, Larry got mad.

"Come on you idiot!" he yelled, "Come fight me!" Luigi charged his power through the Grand Star in his cloak and zapped the Koopa's whole force. He turned back to Danny and the Boo who he got the chance to jump back from since the whole force of Bowser's minions and Larry was unconscious. The Boo had hidden behind Danny's back when he released the electricity.

"Danny, what are you doing with that thing?" Luigi asked, backing up at the sight of the Boo.

"Dad, it's fine," said Danny, "Trent is friendly!"

"I sure… am!" said Trent, disappearing at next lightning flash and then reappearing once it stopped. Luigi's heart was pounding in fear at the Boo. Every time the lightning flashed, he disappeared for a second and then came back.

"Trent said they do that," said Danny, "They've adapted to the environment around here so that whenever lightning flashes they disappear and then come back." Luigi stopped moving back. The Koopa force was stirring.

"We don't have much time before they wake," said Trent, "I can take you somewhere safe, but you have to trust me. I sense your fear." Luigi remembered what Penguru had said what was probably now the previous day.

"Find your fear and it will take you to the place you need to go," he had said.

"Let's go," said Luigi, "Take us to safety." Though his legs were shaking, he watched Trent come over to his side with Danny and begin chanting something, broken by the lightning, but chanting nonetheless. When he was done, an enormous portal struck by lightning appeared in front of them.

"Before we go… in drop anything that causes light into the void below," said Trent, "We don't like light in the dark world." Luigi pulled a few flashlights out of his cloak and dropped them into the void reluctantly.

"Hurry!" said Trent, letting one more flash of lightning pass before floating into the portal. Danny jumped in after him and Luigi looked back at the Koopa force and saw that Larry was awake and glaring at him. Luigi quickly jumped into the portal after Trent and Danny and it closed behind him.

* * *

Luigi landed on the stone maze of the dark world to find that Danny and Trent were already walking along it. He quickly ran to catch up with them but suddenly, a Boo popped up in front of him. Luigi screamed and fell backwards. Every Boo in the dark world turned to him. Luigi began to panic and backed up a few paces when he bumped into something.

"Luigi, is that you?" asked E. Gadd, who was directly behind him. Luigi jumped and turned around in surprise. Danny and Trent had come back over to him to see if he was alright.

"E. Gadd!" Luigi cried, "What are you doing here?"

"The Boos of Flash Black offered me hospitality," said E. Gadd, "So I took it. They are very nice. Nothing to be afraid of."

"See dad, what did I tell you," said Danny.

"Sorry," said Luigi, "It's just natural instinct for me."

"That's alright," said Trent, "Here, I'll give you a short tour. There's not much to see anyways."

"No, if you don't mind, I'll give him the tour," said E. Gadd, "Come with me." Luigi followed E. Gadd down the stone maze of the dark world. E. Gadd explained the mirrored concept of the Boos' special world and everything about boundaries and stuff.

"This world is really fascinating once you live in it for a while," said E. Gadd.

"How long have you been here?" asked Luigi.

"Eh… I'd say a week or two," said E. Gadd, "Maybe less. What brings you here? Shouldn't you be out defeating Bowser?"

"I'm looking for something here," said Luigi, "Something that can help me defeat him."

"Like what?" asked E. Gadd.

"A staff," said Luigi, "And a way to perfect my powers." He demonstrated his electricity to E. Gadd who adjusted his glasses in approval.

"Interesting," said E. Gadd, "The scientific name would be Electrokinesis, but this is another whole class of it. And a staff you say? Hm…" Before he could say anything else, Luigi heard a loud sound, like a portal opening. He turned to the front of the maze and saw that Larry and his force were pouring into the dark world.

"There he is!" Larry yelled, "Get him!" The force, now containing Boos on Bowser's side, charged into battle. The Boos of Flash Black immediately began to fight back.

"What's going on?" asked E. Gadd, "How did they get in?"

"Magic!" Larry yelled. Luigi turned in surprise and got a magical fireball to the face. He was knocked to the ground but got up quickly.

"How did you…"

"Dad added new powers to the wands," said Larry, "A pity that I'm the only one who is ever going to be able to use them since four of my siblings left me and you killed the other three!"

"I swear, those deaths were by accident!" Luigi yelled, "Now get out of here before I make you!"

"Big words for a hero," said Larry, "Since when has that worked for you?" Larry jumped forward in order to hit Luigi with his wand but Luigi knocked him back with a blast of electricity. Luigi landed on his feet and Larry fell back on his shell. He jumped back on his feet and charged again. This time he was faster and knocked Luigi over.

"E. Gadd, run!" Luigi yelled. E. Gadd did as he was told and ran towards where Danny was trying to use a device he had created on his spare time to counter the Bros that were attacking. Luigi kicked Larry with all of his might off of him and jumped to his feet. The two of them continued to jostle until Luigi almost knocked the Koopaling off of the side of the planet. Larry however, caught his balance and used the momentum from the catch to charge forwards and tackle Luigi to the ground. Luigi zapped him and pushed him off.

"Dad help!" he heard Danny cry. Luigi zapped Larry again and then again for good measure. Then he ran to help out his son and E. Gadd, who were being harassed by Ice Bros. He kicked the first into the void and the second he threw and ball of electricity at. The Ice Bro fell over in defeat.

"Thanks dad," said Danny, "How did they all get here anyways? I thought Trent said…" Larry was catching up to Luigi and they got back into their little tussle. There was a kick to the stomach by one of them and by the other a kick to the head.

"Yes, it is confusing," said E. Gadd as Luigi and Larry fought, "How is it possible that they got here when it is only possible to enter the world by the power of the Boos? Wait a minute… that's it! The Boos!"

"The Flash Black Boos wouldn't help Bowser's side though," said Danny.

"No, but only Boos can allow entrance to the dark worlds!" E. Gadd, "And this Larry has Boos on his side!" As if to prove his point, an enemy Boo screamed at them from behind and freaked them out. Danny was so shocked that he almost fell into the void but E. Gadd caught him.

"I'm not going to let you fall boy!" said E. Gadd.

"Oh, but I think you will," said Larry from behind him. E. Gadd turned his head in panic, still holding Danny's hand. Larry had knocked Luigi to the ground. He looked like he was struggling to get up. Larry's foot was coming down to the bottom of its arc, when Luigi zapped him with all he had. The power of the Grand Star in his cloak still surged through him and he felt newly energized. He jumped to his feet as Larry fell to his knees. E. Gadd pulled Danny back to solid ground.

"Luigi, go for the staff!" E. Gadd yelled. Luigi was surprised at that remark but E. Gadd pointed to the other end of the maze. Stuck within a pedestal was a three pronged staff.

"The staff of Thurius…" said Luigi in amazement, "It's here." He dashed along the paths of the maze. Thankfully, it wasn't as Flash Black was and he was able to see everything. However, as he reached the end of the maze, he felt something restricting him. It was Larry's wand.

"You will not touch that weapon!" Larry screamed from the near center of the maze, "You will not touch it!"

"Too bad!" Luigi yelled, "I'm meant to touch it! As a matter of fact, I am meant to use it!" He struggled against the bonds Larry held him in. Danny and E. Gadd were rushing towards him from one side of the maze to help him out, while from the other side, ten Bros were coming at him. Luigi, still struggling against his bonds, charged his powers and sent two thousand volts down the line of the bonds. Larry's wand was unlike Lemmy's had been and he was zapped. He fell to the ground in defeat and Luigi was freed.

Luigi jumped forwards and took a good look at the staff. The symbols of the Star Cures were imprinted on each prong. He grabbed it the hilt first with his left hand, then with his right. His right hand began to burn a little but he didn't lift it, knowing what was going on. The Star Cure symbols were glowing again as were the symbols on the staff. The base of the staff, still stuck in the pedestal began to glow green. As a matter of fact, so did the whole staff. The whole dark world watched in amazement as the staff slowly but surely came out of the pedestal. Luigi lifted it high in the sky in his right hand. But Danny heard Trent say something from nearby. He seemed to be crying.

"When the mage draws the staff, the Boos that have loyally guarded it shall be no more…" he said sadly. Danny wondered what that could mean until suddenly, a lightning bolt came from nowhere and struck the staff in Luigi's hand and sent a surge through the whole maze. More bolts came and struck the staff then even more. Eventually, the electricity from the lightning was flying everywhere and Danny in panic had pulled out his electrical shield, putting it up around him and E. Gadd.

The lightning continued to strike as everybody watched. The Bros that had been going after Luigi suddenly were hit by a bolt of lightning and disintegrated. It began to get very, very, very bright. Danny and E. Gadd covered their eyes and looked away. Danny understood what Trent meant. The Boos would disappear when the light got too bright for them. He heard the Boos' screams from all around. He didn't see it, but Larry was hit by a bolt of white lightning. He heard the Koopa scream and then silence. Now there was only the sound of crackling electricity and lightning strikes.

The lightning continued to strike the staff, making no sound at all except for crackling and zapping noises. Luigi was barely able to take the pain of the electricity and couldn't move at all. The lightning had seized him. Then, thunder burst through the air all around him. The whole dark world lit up in a huge blast of light… and just like that, Luigi disappeared into thin air.

The dark world was silent and Danny and E. Gadd were the only living things left within it. Danny lowered the shield slowly, seeing that his father had disappeared from where he was standing. E. Gadd walked along the maze in shock. Where enemy forces had once been standing, there were only ashes. Where Larry had been standing, was a pile of ash and a golden wand with a blue tip. He looked across to the end of the maze where Danny was knelt down at the ground.

Where Luigi had been standing, there was nothing at all left; nothing but a small shred of his cloak. E. Gadd walked back around the maze to see for himself. Danny was crying. E. Gadd simply looked at the pedestal in a mix of amazement and sorrow, realizing what must have happened. Danny had picked up the shred of cloth from the ground.

"He's gone," Danny sobbed, "My father is gone…"

* * *

**A/N: Oh my gosh! After an intense battle against the Koopa forces, Larry is disintegrated and Luigi is gone! G-O-N-E; GONE! Danny and E. Gadd are the only living things left in the dark world. What will Bowser say? Where will Danny and E. Gadd go from here? And what in the name of **_**Thurius**_** happened to Luigi? **

**I don't think I referenced anything here…**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	48. Some Aftermath

Chapter 48: Some Aftermath

The battleship pulled into the largest docking area on the castle. The minions who had taken it weren't sure if Bowser would be angry or glad. One Hammer Bro and a few Boos had returned to the battleship from the main section of the galaxy, reporting that Larry was dead, and Luigi had disappeared. According to the Hammer Bro, it was lucky that he survived and that he was able to slip out the still open portal because of the Boos outside of it without Danny and E. Gadd noticing.

The mission had been, after Bowser discovered from Peter, who had figured out the hints long before Luigi had, that Luigi would be headed to Flash Black, to destroy the Comet Observatory and kill the plumber. Larry had been sent for the job with the battleship. But now Larry was gone to the grave with three of his siblings since some minions had returned with Wendy's body a few days earlier.

The Hammer Bro was on his way at the moment to relay the news to Bowser, not knowing if he would be ticked or joyed; probably both. And that was on his mind as he pushed open the doors to the throne room.

"Well?" said Bowser as he walked in. Bowser looked stressed. He had now lost eight children and still had to handle matters with rebels all over the universe. Though Earth had now been silenced thanks to Broque Madame and her troops. The airships were probably on their way with prisoners right now, probably so many, that they would have to expand the prison.

"The mission was a success…" said the Hammer Bro.

"Where is Larry?" asked Bowser. The Hammer Bro felt dizzy all of a sudden. He fell over unconscious, in fear of what Bowser might do to him.

"So the plumber is dead," said Bowser with an evil grin, "At the cost of my son. Not exactly a fair trade if you ask me but it's alright." The insanity that Ludwig had spoken of before he left returned to Bowser's eyes. They had quickly discovered his disappearance but Bowser didn't care. His eldest was really getting on his nerves.

"I need a messenger and a healer in here!" Bowser yelled. A few seconds later, a white Shy Guy and a Blue Shy Guy ran into the room.

"Yes, King Bowser?" they said in unison.

"Messenger, go to the prison cells and tell the Princess of the Cosmos that her precious Observatory is destroyed and tell them all that Luigi is dead," said Bowser, "Healer, take this Hammer Bro to the infirmary."

"Yes sir, King Bowser!" they said together again. The healer picked up the Hammer Bro and ran out of the room while the messenger left to the prison cells.

"Breaking prisoners is so much fun," said Bowser through his evil grin, "Now it is time to increase my power again, for when things already had are destroyed, they are only built back stronger!"

* * *

Peter sat on the bed of the room Bowser had given him. He had joined Bowser's side now and he was going to have to learn to be evil. He had his reasons. Or at least, the reasons he had given on the survey. He had said that his uncle abandoned him when the attack happened. He didn't believe that. He knew that his uncle was off getting his sixth hint. He also said he felt like there was no other choice. He didn't believe that either. He could've good and well stayed in that prison cell, but this was more strategic and Bowser couldn't see through it.

It was true that he had known where they would be going after Luigi got the fifth hint. He had put the pieces together and discovered that they all pointed to Flash Black. Then he himself had received a visit from the mysterious Tanya, telling him that his uncle wouldn't be coming to stop the dark side anytime soon. When Peter asked why, these were the words she gave him:

"When time flows in this world, it flows in a way we know. But it contradicts the time flow where your uncle will end up. Take this; an hourglass, though this one does not count hours. It counts years. When it finally runs down is when your uncle will return."

Peter looked at the hourglass on his nightstand. It looked normal, but only one grain of sand was falling down every twenty minutes. This hourglass was slow alright and it was going to take a while to run down. He couldn't possibly imagine where his uncle could be. Where in the world would Luigi end up where time flowed so slowly?

"Uncle Luigi where are you?" Peter asked himself. There was a rapping on his door. He opened it up. It was Kamek.

"Peter, your first assignment begins in a half hour," he said, "You are to report to the meeting room immediately."

"Alright," said Peter, leaving the room after Kamek and shutting the door behind him. The hourglass didn't waver one bit.

* * *

The Toads that had been stuck in Freezeflame had been stuck for five days now. Francis had been kind to them and was even helping them with fighting skills in case the Koopa army attacked. But they still wondered how long they were going to be here and when they would be able to leave. Something about to happen would change that.

As the Toads went about their daily business, daily being training their skills with staffs that Francis had on hand from when he was younger, Norman was on watch, and when that ended up happening, everybody was worried. As usual, Norman was half asleep. But he saw something in the distance. He jolted awake and stood up with a hand over his eyes.

"An airship," he said to himself. He jumped down from the top of the mountain where the Toads had assigned watches and began yelling.

"An airship is coming!" he yelled. He saw from the point he was now standing that there were three airships.

"Never mind that!" he yelled, "There are three airships!" He saw the Toads below rushing up the mountain as Francis had taught them. They were surprised at what the old man could do. He took out the whole Toad Brigade and Toadbert by himself while they were training. Norman began climbing the mountain again himself.

When they had all reached the top, the airships had apparently decided that they were going to fly into the galaxy to see what the racket was all about. That was a mistake on their part. The Toads had built a catapult to counter any airship attacks that hit them.

"Ready… aim… fire!" Steven yelled. Gene and Benjamin released the ropes and the catapult flung forward a stone taken from the fire planet. It was direct hit on the first airship. The other two were hit easily as well. Then Norman noticed something.

"There are Toads on those airships!" he hollered. Steven went wide eyed in surprise.

"We have to save them!" he yelled, "Toad Brigade… GO!" All five members of the brigade jumped down to the airships which were now falling down towards the side of the mountain. Steven landed on one airship while his teammates landed on the other two in pairs of two. Toadbert tied a rope to a stable rock on the peak and jumped down himself onto Steven's airship.

"There are ledges over there!" Steven yelled, "Get them all over to the nearest ledge!" Gene and Benjamin found their job easy as their airship had been hit first and as such was closest to the ledges. They managed to throw together every Toad onto the ledge and then jump up themselves before the ship crashed into the side. Norman and Michael found it much harder. They were the farthest from the ledge and under it and as such had to fight off enemies.

"How are we to go about doing this?" asked Michael as he kicked another Boomerang Bro out of the way. Norman smacked away a few Koopas with his staff.

"We're just going to have to figure out how to steer this ship upwards a little!" Norman answered. It was going to be tough, because the rocks had ripped open the engine compartment and battered the engine, but Norman thought they could do it. He jumped up to the wheel and tackled the steering Sledge Bro out of the way, socking him in the face a few times and then poking his staff into the turtle's stomach. He kicked it out of the way and looked at the controls in front of him.

There was the steering wheel and a lever next to it.

"Pull the lever Norman!" Michael yelled as he knocked more enemies off the side of the ship. The crew was gone now. Now they just had to get the Toads to safety. Michael unlocked the door to the holding the Toads and got out of the way so they could get out. He felt the ship lurch upwards. Norman steered it towards the ledge and then managed to make it stop in midair.

"It won't hold for long!" Norman yelled, "Hurry and jump up!" The Toads didn't hesitate and began jumping up, Michael and Norman helping them out as they did so. However, when there were only two Toads left, the ship lurched downwards again.

"Steven!" Michael yelled, "We need help!" The ship was leaning towards the side of the mountain and it suddenly hit the side. Steven looked down from the top of the mountain where he and Toadbert had already unloaded their passengers.

"Use the rope!" Steven yelled. Michael turned to his right and found that the rope was dangling by his face. He took the hand of the first Toad and she held onto him tightly as he pulled on the rope. Toadbert, Gene, and Benjamin pulled them up and then let the rope down again.

Norman picked up the small child that was left and had to jump to the rope above him. He barely managed to grab on before the ship collapsed and fell down the mountain into oblivion below. Toadbert pulled them up and Norman was greeted by a flurry of cheers. Not one Toad had been lost in the rescue mission.

"I think that we should all be glad that we are all here safely," said Princess Peach who had stepped up to the peak of the mountain to speak, "Perhaps we can all live here as one big group for a while until we can return to the Mushroom Kingdom." A Toad that had been saved spoke up.

"We can't possibly return there!" he cried, "Bowser has retaken it fiercely and now rules with an iron fist!" There was nervous conversation among the saved Toads who all agreed that they couldn't go back.

"Then we shall live here until his reign is destroyed," said Peach, "I believe Luigi is out and about doing just that now. Hopefully, he will take care of our enemy soon." The Toads all cheered. The number saved was about fifty three. They all unanimously decided that they would begin to build a village all along the mountainside. And they would hope that Luigi would defeat Bowser soon, though they had no idea that their hopes for a good near future were hopeless.

* * *

Danny and E. Gadd worked tirelessly on the metal planet of the Battle Belt galaxy. Despite his depression at his father's disappearance five days prior, Danny continued to follow E. Gadd's instruction in their little project. After transporting themselves out of the Flash Black Galaxy using the remainder of the energy that E. Gadd's Transportification Device, they had found themselves in Battle Belt, where E. Gadd got the idea of turning planets into starships.

Danny thought the idea was incredibly farfetched. But with two of the universes greatest inventors working together, it seemed to work out. They had figured out a lot so far, like how to put in rocket boosters, but the one thing they still lacked was an engine to run the thing. They just didn't have enough material stored up in E. Gadd's lab coat to build it.

His lab coat was a curious thing. It worked exactly like Luigi's cloak. As a matter of fact, upon the morn of the sixth day, or what seemed like the morning, Danny asked him about the lab coat.

"Professor, why is it that your lab coat seems to have indefinite space?" asked Danny.

"Oh, I received it from the Star Sprites," said E. Gadd, "It's enchanted. It can hold as many things as I want it to. Unfortunately, I didn't want to hold enough things so we don't have enough to build an engine." Danny pondered the words for a second; then he remembered that his father had a Star Sprite friend. Could she have given him the cloak?

He suddenly got the urge to cry again, thinking of his father. It did that to him and E. Gadd didn't blame him for it. He was only six and he didn't have either of his parents with him anymore. He and E. Gadd had decided that Luigi must be dead for no man could have survived that many lightning strikes.

"Are you alright?" asked E. Gadd.

"I'm fine," said Danny, snapping out of his thoughts, "Well, I guess we'll just have to find more parts then."

"Of course," said E. Gadd, "But where?" Danny looked across the other planetoids in the galaxy.

"I used spider goop as fuel once," he said, "How about we improvise?"

"That my boy is an excellent idea!" E. Gadd exclaimed. And with that, they readied the Sling Star for the first of the many planetoids in the galaxy.

* * *

The Flash Black galaxy was now silent since the Boos were gone and Danny and E. Gadd had left. As such, Tanya walked along the path of the stone maze undisturbed. When she reached the end, she stared off into space where the portal to the dark world had once been.

"It shall no longer open," she said to herself, "This is where the mage shall return." She still felt nervous about things, even though she knew how they were to happen.

"Through rigorous training the mage shall go," said Tanya, "A decade of harsh training shall pass before he returns. Then is when the true mage shall come and defeat the evil king, the one who has caused the universe much pain. It will be harder, for the king's reign will be even stronger, but not as strong as it could be. But the True Mage of Thunder shall seek help and four shall join the mage in defeating the evil king; one, a close relative; two, a traitor to that king; three, a mythical creature; and four, the speaker of things to come." She stopped to take a breath.

"Please Luigi," she said with worry, "Hurry and become the Mage of Thunder spoken of in legends and return to this world to defeat your mortal enemy…" And with that, she twirled and vanished.

* * *

Rosalina again shut the book.

"Come on Mama!" one Luma cried, "We want to hear the end!"

"Yeah!" said another, "Please?"

"You will all hear the ending later," said Rosalina, "But until then, I will leave you waiting. It's more fun to wonder how things will turn out." With that, the Lumas left excitedly without complaint. Rosalina giggled.

"I'll give them a week to wonder it out," she said to herself, "Then they shall hear how this legend ends…" She put the book down on the stand next to the chair and left the room. The Lumas would not be disappointed.

* * *

**A/N: Lots and lots of info in this chapter. Okay, so this chapter, as I'm sure you all figured out from the context, takes place five days after Luigi has vanished along with the staff. We have discovered that some of our characters think Luigi is dead; others think he's still on the job of defeating Bowser. And a few even know what's really going on. What will happen in the time Luigi is gone? Just how much power will Bowser regain? And the question remains; where is Luigi? **

**This chapter, chapter 49/48, ends Part 2! And as Rosalina has already said, she is going to wait a week before Part 3 starts! I have my own reasons for that. School starts for me next week, August 20****th**** and I am going on hiatus as a writer so I can fit my writing schedule into my school schedule. I will be back next Saturday. See you all then!**

**Battle Belt was a galaxy in World 6 in Super Mario Galaxy 2. It was a personal favorite of mine for the small planetoids and stuff. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	49. Thurius

Rosalina silently slipped out of bed. It was morning; she could feel it. The Lumas had been looking forward to this day for a week now and she wasn't going to disappoint them. She was tailed by nearly half of the residents of the observatory as she walked towards the library. The white Luma floated around her as she walked. He had wanted to know the end of the story more than ever. And so the Lumas followed her into the Library as she walked inside. The book was conveniently opened to the correct page when she sat down.

"Well then young ones," she said kindly as the Lumas swarmed about the Library, giving almost no room at all, "Let us finish this story. When we left off, as I'm sure you all remember Luigi had mysteriously vanished after being struck by many bolts of lightning. And a lot of you have been asking and wondering where he went. Well we're about to find out where exactly he is…"

Part 3: The True Mage of Thunder

Chapter 49: Thurius

Luigi felt nothing but the surrounding darkness. He remembered only a few things. The staff was still raised in his right hand. The tingle of the lightning bolts still shivered across his body. He remembered the looks of awe and terror on the peoples' faces in the dark world. He felt himself lower his right arm. A bolt of lightning flashed through the air. In the short amount of light, Luigi saw what appeared to be a very tall man. Lightning flashed again and this time, it left the world so white that Luigi had to cover his eyes.

When he was able to open them again, he saw the man standing high in front of him. He had looked tall before, but now, he looked as though he was just a few inches taller than Luigi.

"Welcome, my successor," he said. His voice boomed through the area.

"Where… where am I?" asked Luigi, "And who are you?"

"This is what you might call the inter-dimensional rift," said the man. There was a moment of silence as the echoes of the man's booming voice died down.

"As for who I am…" said the man, "You could call me by many names, for my soul exists in many worlds. In one I am worshipped as a lightning dragon with godlike powers. In another, I am an evil phantom. In still another, I am the master of a chariot of lightning. But in terms of your dimension, I prefer to be called by the name Thurius, the Mage of Thunder." The name echoed through Luigi's head as it did in the rift. So that was who Thurius was. He was the Mage of Thunder before Luigi came along.

"Why am I here?" asked Luigi.

"You have been brought here to learn how to use the staff and your powers properly," said Thurius summoning an exact replica of the staff, minus the Star Cure symbols, in his hand, "The basics are all that need to be learned. You will figure out more advanced techniques when you return to your world. But for now, let's begin. Strike me." Luigi was confused at the order.

"Strike me!" Thurius boomed. Luigi got the message and charged forwards at Thurius, holding the staff as though it were a spear. Thurius knocked him away easily.

"Again!" Thurius boomed, "Try a different technique!" Luigi went on for five times before he finally landed a perfect strike, getting past Thurius's defenses by rolling underneath his staff. He had to swing vertically as he got close if Thurius kept his staff vertical and vice versa. He didn't even have to get three feet away from Thurius thanks to the staff's electrical powers. However, the amount of electricity he had used in striking Thurius, who appeared unharmed, tired him.

"How am I to… complete this training… if I keep getting so tired," said Luigi, almost gasping at the loss of energy that he had put into the staff.

"That is part of your training," said Thurius, "Using excess electricity over and over again is the perfect way to get your body settled and used to using your powers. Of course, I almost forgot, you're going to have to remove that little device from your gloves." Luigi immediately knew what Thurius was talking about and took off the little pieces of tape that gave him the Thunderbrand abilities. They dissolved into thin air.

"They only hinder you," said Thurius, "Now, let's continue." There were many things for Luigi to learn. Each point of the staff had a special maneuver. The left tip had a counterstrike maneuver, where if an opponent tried to strike him from afar, he could spin the attack around back at them by absorbing it into the tip. There was also a defensive maneuver from the right side of the staff that allowed the summoning of a force field composed of electricity. From the top tip of the staff was an offensive maneuver that was a basic electric blast.

As they went on, Luigi began to realize what Thurius meant about the excess electricity thing. Every time he used a lot of electricity to attack, he felt weaker. But as time went by, the weakness felt stronger. He eventually became so used to growing weak, he no longer did. Then, Thurius had him put the staff down.

"Now we will train your normal powers," said Thurius. Luigi nodded and felt oddly weaker when the staff was put down. But he pulled through. His powers had become stronger from using the staff, which required some electricity to use. It magnified the power discharged into it by nearly a tenfold. He was able to strike Thurius easily without tiring.

"Unleash all of your power on me! So much that you feel tired again!" Thurius yelled after a little while. Luigi did so. He discharged a ton of electricity through his hands at Thurius who took it easily. Luigi kept increasing the power, getting more confident as he did. He felt the electricity voltage rise in his head. He felt the amount and he was shocked. Within a very short time, he was at nearly five million volts and he hadn't tired yet. He continued to raise the voltage which Thurius was still unfazed by. He began to feel the first signs of tiredness, but he fought them. He continued.

"That's enough!" Thurius commanded a little while later, "I told you to stop when you tired." Luigi fell to the ground in exhaustion.

"That was… almost a billion… volts…" Luigi gasped.

"As I said before, you should have stopped when you tired," said Thurius. Luigi felt the Grand Star in his cloak reenergize him quickly.

"How are you unaffected?" asked Luigi as he got up and picked up the staff.

"It is a special ability granted as a gift to all of those who have the powers of electricity," said Thurius, "Resistance to that very ability so it cannot be used against you. And you have succeeded in proving yourself worthy of being a hero. I now grant this ability upon you so that I may rest in peace."

"Wait, you're going to die when you grant me this power?" asked Luigi.

"Yes," said Thurius smiling sadly, "The only duty that remained of me was to teach you the ways of the staff, just like in another time, long after you are gone, you must train another hero that will come along to use the staff, for history will always… always repeat itself. Now I bestow this ability upon you." He raised both of his hands over Luigi. Then his body began to shimmer.

"This form of me shall now pass on into the Underwhere, the place for lost souls in your world, for that is where I originated," said Thurius, "You have been taught well. As a final act of friendship, I will send you back to your world. You mustn't be shocked by how things have changed."

"What?" Luigi said in surprise.

"You are now the True Mage of Thunder now," said Thurius, "Don't worry about what I have said. Your friend will explain everything…" With that, Thurius, the Mage of Thunder vanished. Luigi was silent for a few moments and then the world began spinning around him. His vision turned white, and then went black.

* * *

Luigi's eyes slowly opened to the view of someone's feet on stone ground.

"Get up," said a woman's voice. He looked up, seeing a young woman of about twenty standing over him. He stood up and realized that the staff was within a strange sheath on his back. The woman who had spoken looked him straight in the eyes and then hugged him tightly.

"You're back!" she cried, "You're really back!" Luigi suddenly recognized the woman's voice as she pulled away from him.

"Tanya?" he asked, "Is that you?" He didn't need an answer. One of her eyes was black and the other was blue. On her back in a sheath was a rod with a blue diamond at the tip. She wore a pink dress and a green bow and her hair was no longer tied in pigtails, but it ran down her back all the way down to her waist.

"Of course it's me!" Tanya cried, "Don't you remember?"

"You say that like it's been years since we've last seen each other," said Luigi. Tanya frowned.

"So he didn't tell you…" she said.

"Tell me what?" asked Luigi.

"You do realize how long you've been gone do you?" she asked. Luigi went pale.

"Tanya, how long have I been gone?" he asked.

"You've been gone for a decade!" Tanya cried, "Though I knew all the time you would come back, I was still worried for the state that this universe has come to be in!" Luigi almost fainted in shock and looked around himself. He saw that he was back in Flash Black at the end of the stone maze. Lightning flashed and the path lit up. Luigi almost backed up into the void. Pieces of the path were missing everywhere. He looked up at the tower and saw that it was no longer there.

"What has Bowser been up to?" asked Luigi his face turning white.

"He thinks you're dead," said Tanya, "He's gone insane and taken the universe back, now ruling it with an iron fist. But now you're back and according to the prophecy…"

"I'm stronger than ever before," said Luigi confidently.

"Exactly," said Tanya, "But now, you must go and crush the evil that rules the universe. In order to do so, you will need the help of four people; one, a close relative, two, a traitor to that king, three, a mythical creature, and four, the speaker of things to come."

"And do I get hints as to who they are?" asked Luigi.

"I'm afraid not," said Tanya, "You must figure that out on your own. I suppose it won't be too hard for you." Luigi thought for a few seconds.

"You're one of them," he said.

"Maybe," said Tanya with a slow nod. Luigi thought a little longer but couldn't deduce anybody else, since there were too many possibilities. He figured that the close relative in the prophecy was probably Danny…

"Danny!" he cried, "Where is he? What happened to him?"

"Calm down," said Tanya, "Your son is fine. He and the old inventor have been doing well for the last ten years. I suggest you find them. But before you go, and I will help you go, you must hear a part of the prophecy only meant to be known by the Mage of Thunder and me. There are four who hold the stars that will allow access to the evil king's realm. The helpers shall show the way to them." She held out her hand to Luigi.

"Shall we go?" she asked. Luigi took her hand.

"Let's go," he said. With that, Tanya twirled at a flash of lightning, and they vanished from Flash Black galaxy.

* * *

Peter unlocked the door to his room and walked inside. He had just completed a successful peace mission with the remaining block people of a galaxy deep in space, who had been reluctant to accept Bowser's reign. But now they were on Bowser's side and as far as the dark side knew, every block person in the universe was on their side.

"How much longer must it be?" he asked himself as he turned to the hourglass on his nightstand. It had been running down quite a lot over the last ten years. He was now eighteen and an expert spy. He had done well with sneaking provisions and news to the captured heroes. He was the only person in the entire castle who gave his father hope for the future.

He had conversed to him about the hourglass and what it was meant for. Mario seemed to be extremely proud of his son, though for some reason, he couldn't speak. Peter assumed that Bowser had broken him pretty badly. He could only hope that his father would recover.

By now, the hourglass hardly had any sand in the top half. Much of it was in the bottom half of the device. The grains of sand were still moving very slowly, but out of nowhere, just as Peter had gotten a closer look, they began moving at a normal speed, and in about a minute and a half, every grain of sand was in the bottom of the hourglass.

Peter's heart began to race. Could it be true? Could Luigi really be back after all of this time? The hourglass disappeared into thin air and Peter stood still as though time was frozen.

"He's back," he convinced himself under his breath, "He's… he's back…" And he suddenly rushed out of his room to go tell the heroes in the prison.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for such a long wait! School started back up for me this week and I wanted to fit my fanfiction schedule into my school schedule. So here's the deal; I probably won't be able to update every day anymore because I will have a LOT of homework this year. I am taking an advanced placement class. So don't expect me to update every day. Updates may come at random. I apologize for inconvenience. **

**So, enough of that, Luigi has learned the ways of the staff from Thurius and come back after, to his surprise, an entire decade! Now there are two different prophecies to be decided. Four heroes and four star holders. Who could they all be? Will Luigi finally get his chance to defeat Bowser for good? And what adventures are in store in the final part of The Mage of Thunder? Just to let you all know, everyone who guessed the heroes that would help Luigi had three out of four correct. Everybody.**

**Thurius's different identities in different worlds are references to people in other video games. In other worlds, he is Zekrom from Pokémon, the Chariot Master from Kid Icarus, and Phantom Ganon from Legend of Zelda in other game worlds. **

**I do not own Mario, or anything else for that matter, except for my OCs. All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	50. Reunited Again

Chapter 50: Reunited Again

Tanya and Luigi reappeared from interspace on what appeared to be the bottom half of a small planetoid. The planetoid was made of almost solid metal, with a few patches of grass here and there and a pond to their right.

"This is as far as I may take you," said Tanya, "Good luck. Please do not fail us." With that, she twirled and vanished. Luigi began to walk towards the northern pole of the planetoid when suddenly, he felt something touch the back of his neck.

"What are you doing here?" a deep male voice asked. Luigi was startled and jumped around, almost zapping the person behind him if he hadn't noticed who it was. A boy of about sixteen with auburn hair and blue eyes wearing a filthy white t-shirt and dirty jeans was holding a metal rod to his neck. It was pointed at the end.

"Danny?" Luigi gasped. It was Danny alright, but he didn't flinch at all. He continued to back Luigi around the planetoid with the metal rod at the ready.

"So they're making clones now are they?" he asked, "Why are you here? Don't tell me. You're trying to trick me into believing you're my father and lead me to my death."

"Our death my boy," said a voice from behind him. Much to Luigi's surprise, E. Gadd walked up behind him and pulled down Danny's right arm, the arm holding the rod.

"But he isn't here to lead us to our death," said E. Gadd, "I can guarantee that this is your father."

"H-how do you know?" asked Danny, "My father is dead! You even said so yourself!"

"Even the greatest of geniuses can be mistaken," said E. Gadd, "No one is perfect. A clone would be unable to tell the life story of one which they were cloned from. So Luigi, tell us everything that you've been through." Luigi began his story and Danny and E. Gadd listened. As he drew to the end of the story, he began to see tears glistening in Danny's eyes. When he finally shut his mouth, ending with the part about Thurius, Danny fell into his arms bawling. E. Gadd nodded with a smile as Luigi patted his son on the back.

* * *

An hour later, Danny had recovered from his shock and they were all talking in the planetoid's hidden hollow where they ate and slept.

"Have you two lived here for the past ten years?" asked Luigi.

"Yep," said Danny, "The professor and I perfected the art of turning planetoids into space ships. Not exactly something that Rosalina would like but I suppose it's alright; at least for travel." Luigi nodded.

"What exactly has happened?" asked Luigi.

"Terrible things," said E. Gadd sadly, "Peter has gone to the dark side. Bowser's reign over the universe has been retaken and become even stronger. I've heard rumors around outer space that Bowser is planning to open up a portal to the multiverse and go in to take over other universes. Their dark magic is strong, stronger than all of the good magic we may have in this universe."

"I vowed to defeat him a long time ago, and I intend to keep that oath," said Luigi, clenching his hand into a fist, "He won't get away with this."

"Well he's gotten pretty far right now," said Danny, reclining in his chair, "We've been trying to gather enough people for a resistance for these last ten years but we've only found a few, and none of them have been able to give us much help."

"Like who?" asked Luigi. Before an answer could be given, an alarm flashed. And sirens blared.

"Not again…" said E. Gadd, jumping up from his chair and rushing over to the controls nearby. Danny jumped up to help him and they both began typing stuff into keyboards.

"Hold on dad," said Danny, looking over his shoulder, "This could get rough!" Before Luigi could ask what was going on, the ship lurched and he fell to the ground. He quickly jumped to his feet and ran outside to a sight he really didn't need to see after being gone for ten years. A swarm of airships was attacking the ship.

Luigi quickly threw his hood over his head. Chances were that Bowser thought he was dead, just as Danny did. Though they would probably figure out it was him quickly, he decided to keep an advantage and stay hidden until they did. He drew the staff from its sheath and began firing electricity through it at the ships. His training had paid off. He felt no weakness as he blasted the ships into oblivion.

As shots fired at him he used his counterattack to send the shots back in a flurry of electricity. He rolled out of the way of a few more shots and shot down a few more airships when suddenly, he fell to the metal ground of the planetoid and the airships vanished. He clung to the ground and just as suddenly as he had fallen and had been unable to get up, things went back to normal. Danny and E. Gadd both rushed out of the cockpit of the planetoid.

"Dad, are you alright?" Danny asked in panic.

"I'm fine," said Luigi, sheathing the staff, "Not even a bruise." Danny looked on in amazement as Luigi observed their surroundings. They appeared to be short distance from a large galaxy with many grassy floating islands and vegetation hanging in space. The background of the starry universe had faded into a cheerful cloudy one.

"Gusty Gardens," said Danny, "Just as we had planned."

"Huh?" said Luigi. He knew about Gusty Gardens, but what had they planned.

"You wanted to know people who could join our little resistance correct?" said Danny. Luigi nodded slowly.

"This is where one of them and his family lives," said Danny. To prove his point, Danny pointed a finger out to the farthest reaches of the galaxy away from them. Just barely visible beyond a giant hedged cube, was a floating island with a small house on it.

* * *

The metal planetoid floated through the galaxy gently, unlike before when they had been moving at intense speeds. Luigi was impressed at their work on the planetoid. It was a suitable place for living. It moved through the galaxy quietly so as not to disturb the peace. Well, it was peaceful until they reached the second half of the galaxy.

The whole mood changed when they hit the other side. There were small fires smoldering on the grassy islands and one planet had been clearly blown in half. Luigi saw that Danny's mouth was dropped and E. Gadd was shaking his head in shock as they moved through. They reached the floating island with the house on it and Danny jumped off onto the small island and began banging on the door.

"Bennet! Ella! Are you in there?" he cried. Nobody answered the door.

"Oh no…" said Danny. Luigi jumped down next to him.

"Danny, calm down," said Luigi, "Who are Bennet and Ella?" Danny didn't answer and kept pounding on the door. Suddenly, the door opened a crack. A very young looking member of the Bros species poked his head through the crack. He looked like a Bro but his helmet and shell were white, unlike any Bro Luigi had seen. His eyes were a dazzling yellow.

"Mr. Danny!" he cried. He threw open the door and jumped into Danny's arms crying.

"They came and took Mommy and Daddy and Janet!" he cried, "You've got to find them and save them!"

"Poor James…" said E. Gadd as he walked up behind Luigi, "He's only four and Bowser has taken his whole family…" Danny turned around to Luigi.

"Dad, this is James," he said, introducing the young Bro formally, "He is the son of the one I wanted you to meet. Unfortunately, it appears that he is not here…"

"Are you Mr. Danny's daddy?" asked James, "He said you were dead!"

"Well, I'm not dead and I never was," said Luigi, "We'll find your family. Just don't worry." James buried his face into Danny's chest.

"How long have you known them?" asked Luigi.

"Since we discovered them here five years ago," said E. Gadd, answering for Danny who was busy comforting James, "They only had Janet at the time. If I'm not mistaken she's around… twelve? Eleven right about now?" Danny nodded.

"Bennet was an active rebel against Bowser twenty years ago," said Danny, "But after his daughter was born, he retired from that. He did manage to snag a Grand Star from Bowser before his retirement but…"

"Did you just say he has a Grand Star?" Luigi asked suddenly. Danny slowly nodded in sudden surprise at his father's reaction to his statement.

"I expected you to be shocked that he is actually a Boomerang Bro," said E. Gadd. Luigi opened his ears to the whole story. Bennet was an active rebel against Bowser, but before that, he was one of the Koopa King's loyal servants. He left Bowser's side while Bowser was still being an epic failure at taking over the world, back when Bowser did not have power over the entire universe and met Ella. They travelled together for a while, stealing a Grand Star from Bowser, and settling in the Gusty Gardens galaxy where they retired from their work in trying to take Bowser down.

"So that's why Bowser took them," said Luigi.

"Probably," said Danny, who now had James asleep in his arms, "If I were to think of it, I'd think that they took him to Bowser's prisons in his castle, where everyone else is being held." Luigi knew good and well who everyone else was. That meant Rosalina and the Lumas, Mario, and Daisy, since Peter had apparently turned evil for his own selfish desires. He wondered how they were all holding up, especially since they were under Bowser's captivity.

"But I'd say that Bowser is keeping them in one of his prisons in distant space," said Danny, "We know of only a few locations. I suggest that we start looking there." E. Gadd nodded.

"I'll set the course," said E. Gadd, "You two search the house and look for anything we might be able to use. I'm sure Bennet won't mind." E. Gadd left the floating island to prepare the coordinates while Luigi and Danny entered the house. It was a quaint place; a pretty nice place to live if you thought about it in the right way.

"I remember when you were four," said Luigi, "You ripped the stuffing out of the couch when I was off the scene." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Please don't start embarrassing me," said Danny.

"There's no one around," said Luigi, breaking into a grin. He could tell Danny was smiling, even though his back was turned.

"Well the kid is here," said Danny, picking up a few things and tossing him to his father. Luigi stored them in his cloak, though he hadn't the slightest clue as to what they were. Danny probably knew. After another ten minutes, they left the house, just as James was waking up.

"Are we going to save Janet and Mommy and Daddy?" asked James sleepily.

"Yes, we are," said Danny, "And you're going to help us." James smiled widely.

"This'll be fun!" he cried as they jumped onto the planetoid starship.

Once they were all strapped in (E. Gadd had built another chair for Luigi to sit in. James sat on Danny's lap.) E. Gadd typed in something to the keyboard and the ship lurched again. Then g-force took over as the ship blasted forwards into the oblivion beyond the Gusty Gardens to find James's family.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has reunited with his son and E. Gadd, who have perfected the art of turning planets into starships. Bennet and his family have been introduced as well. I guarantee you that he will be important later on, as already hinted by Luigi's reaction to Danny's statement that he had a Grand Star. Will they find little James's family? And what else has changed or come about in the ten years Luigi was missing? **

**I forgot to mention this last chapter. As of Chapter 49, we have hit ten thousand views! Wow! Thank you everybody who has read and reviewed! It means a lot to me. **

**The planets turning into starships idea is inspired by the Starship Mario in Super Mario Galaxy 2. I couldn't figure out how to put it in this story so I left it out and did the next best thing. Bennet and Ella are recycled characters from another story I wrote but never typed. And Bennet has already technically been mentioned in this story. Hint-hint, chapter 12 if you look hard enough (It isn't that hard to find). **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	51. Prison Break

Chapter 51: Prison Break

The planetoid starship rocketed through space towards its destination. There was nothing but blackness around them as Luigi, Danny, E. Gadd, and the little Bro named James rode within the planetoid that was headed to the closest of Bowser's prisons to the Gusty Gardens. They didn't know what they'd find there, but they knew it would be a rescue mission nonetheless, despite the fact that they were only looking for James's family. People Bowser had imprisoned must be saved.

Within about an hour of leaving the galaxy they had started out in, as the starship's speed was limited compared to the previous... uh, destroyed mode of transportation that they had used ten years before, they found themselves in view of the prison, which appeared to be on a planetoid that was part of a large galaxy. Luigi couldn't figure out why but some of the galaxy's landmarks looked familiar.

E. Gadd quickly pulled them downwards in space so that they wouldn't be spotted by the airships that were patrolling. They halted directly below the prison where there was no patrol. Luigi found it shocking that none of the people on the airships had seen them pull under with the fact that the planetoid was as big as it was.

Danny and Luigi slipped out of the hatch on the surface of the ship that led out of the control room. James had wanted to come with them but it was too dangerous and rather stupid for a four year old to go charging into a prison with professional warriors, or so they seemed to be. Father and son jumped up off of the surface of the planetoid and were pulled into the gravity of the prison's planetoid, which was sort of like a fluffed up pancake. Luigi made sure his hood was on and they crept to the northern pole of the planetoid, where a siren immediately blared.

"Darn it all!" Danny cried, "Let's go! Security has gotten tougher!" The two of them dashed across the surface of the planetoid to the barbed wire, electrical fence (Luigi was confused as to where they got the electricity from in the middle of space but he decided not to question) and Luigi disabled the fence, causing Danny to be able to rip apart the wiring. They stepped through and dashed towards the prison doors, which flung open to reveal a flock of Paratroopas waiting for them.

Luigi gave no hesitation in beginning his assault. He didn't use the staff at such a close range but rather his own power. Still befuddled about what had happened in the void with Thurius when he dropped his staff and felt weaker, he continued to zap the Paratroopas around him without feeling a single bit of weakness at all. He charged into the crowd, engulfing himself in electrical power and knocking the Paratroopas out of the way.

Danny in the meantime was swatting away Koopas and Paratroopas at an alarming rate. When he fought with his pointed rod, he fought harshly. At one point, he surprised Luigi by jumping on top of a generator nearby and stabbing the rod into it, then pulling it out and firing a bolt of electricity from the tip at the army, thus decimating its center. Another time as they were fighting their way in, Danny pressed a hidden button on his rod and began shooting small lasers at the enemy. Luigi was overall very impressed at the ingenuity his son had put into his weapon and his ability to fight as well.

They charged into the main hallway, shocking the prisoners (not literally) who all seemed wide awake. They looked among the prisoners who were wide awake with terror and excitement at the alarms. They were of nearly all species, from Koopa to Toad. But among them they saw none from the Bros division.

More enemies poured into the prison's hallway.

"Danny, you start freeing them!" Luigi yelled, "I'll take care of these guys!"

"I'm on it!" Danny yelled. Luigi saw Danny wall jump up to the top of the prison and hang from one of the light fixtures. He wondered for a second what he was doing but became occupied with the many enemies that were surrounding him. He blasted everything within ten feet of him with electricity and the enemies who were attacking him were burnt to cinders. Amazingly, the prison bars rolled up around him as well, causing him to assume that they ran on electricity just like everything else. That also cleared up what Danny was doing at the moment.

Danny had stabbed his staff into the light fixture and absorbed electricity into it, firing small blasts at the bars of the cells, then recharging. This caused them all to spring upwards with the sudden stimulation thus freeing the people that they held. Half of the prison was now free as Luigi knocked back another wave of Koopas.

Now he drew his staff, for the next wave was still coming down the hallway. Luigi focused his power into the staff and he felt the symbols on his right hand burning. The symbols on the staff's tips burned bright as well. As the next wave came around the corner, Luigi unleashed the electricity he was withholding.

The whole complex was without power for the next few hours as Luigi and Danny finished freeing the prisoners. Not a single enemy had remained alive. The people in the prison, a number of about five hundred all were struggling outside to receive fresh air. Luigi had to zap them all, much to his reluctance, to get them to focus on him once they were all outside. The planetoid was very crowded.

"Attention all people who we just freed!" Luigi called out to the people, who all were standing on the northern pole of the planetoid, with his hood now off, "You are now safe from Bowser's clutches! Unfortunately, we can't transport you all out of here due to the rather… small size of the planetoid we are travelling on." There was squabbling below him, as he was standing on the lowest roof of the planetoid.

"Silence please!" Luigi called. The people all went silent. "I can see other planetoids nearby that shouldn't take long to get to. I'm afraid you must stay in this… galaxy, as I suppose it could be called. But stay close, because if Bowser shows up again, you will have to band against him."

Danny suddenly jumped up on the roof beside him.

"Dad, you have to see this," he said urgently. Luigi told all of the people to begin making their way to the southern pole of the planetoid and that he would be out soon to begin loading the ship.

"What is it?" he asked as he and Danny approached the stairs that led downwards in the prison.

"You are not going to like this," said Danny, "I can't believe I've not noticed this before." When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found something that made Luigi's heart sink. In the basement of the prison, there was a small pool of magma. A severed tentacle lay nearby them.

"No…" he said softly, "This couldn't possibly be…"

"It is," said Danny, "I wasn't here with you but I can guarantee that this is… or was King Kaliente's planetoid. I had never noticed before, but this terrifying location is the Good Egg Galaxy."

* * *

Lasers were firing everywhere. There was the sound of crying and the sound of panic. The space colony was in chaos. An attack was underway on them. In the midst of all of this chaos, something miraculous had happened. A child had been born. In the middle of the attack, the infant had been born. A laser fired through the roof of this child's house.

Her parents had lived here on this early space colony for ten years now, ever since his father had left the dark side and met his mother. Many space colonies had been formed against Bowser, often by rebels in big galaxies, but some by freed prisoners. Essentially, if people began living in a galaxy, it was considered a colony. These colonies were a prime target for Bowser's side of things. This colony in particular was in the northern half of the Cosmic Cove Galaxy, where people lived in floating houses on the water.

"Hurry!" the child's father yelled as he helped his wife out the door of the flaming house. They jumped into a boat next to the house, as boats were the prime mode of transportation in this galaxy. They would have to meet up with some of the others at the south end of the galaxy, though it would be tough, considering that it was hard for boats to get underneath the rock wall that separated the two halves. Another laser struck nearby. The infant's father began rowing as hard as he could.

Somehow, almost everyone had reached the other side safely. It was only the north end that seemed to be under attack, since the many airships above the galaxy were no longer above them. There was a cave nearby in the rock wall of the cove that they could hide out in until the airships passed over.

Bowser often scoped out galaxies to use as prisons. This one wouldn't likely be taken due to the watery nature of it, but it was never good to stay out and about. If they had to, the child's parents would raise her in the cavern. They could be there for quite a while.

Almost the entire colony was now on the southern half of the planetoid. This colony was composed of mainly Koopas that were rebels against Bowser. Not many others outside of their species came along. The infant's father urged her mother to take her into the cavern while he waited for stragglers but she hesitated in leaving him.

"Don't worry about me," he said, "Just take care of her. I'll be in after you in no time." He kissed her and she took their child with her into the cavern. A few more arrived, but after ten more minutes, the people who had been waiting for others to come entered the cavern.

The cavern was covered in crystals and was very spacious, perfect for a small society to live in for a while. The father walked over to where his wife was sitting down and trying to calm the child down.

"How is she?" he asked softly with a smile. She smiled back.

"She couldn't be better," she said. He sat down next to her as their proclaimed leader stepped up to take roll. When he had finished he made a few announcements.

"It appears we have lost a few people unfortunately," he said, "We can only hope they are alright." There was mumbling among the villagers as the new parents watched over their child. She was a beautiful little girl with a yellow shell like his father, with a single spike protruding from it, a rare sign of dominance among Koopas. She had her mother's mouth though, a beak shaped one, like most Koopas had. She was cuddled asleep against her mother's chest.

The leader continued on through the announcements, until finally, it came to the point where the birth of their child would be announced.

"We'd like to congratulate Lemmy and Trisha Koopa on their first child as well," said their leader. The whole crowd turned to them. They beamed as the leader came down off of the rock that he was standing on to check out their child. He smiled as he finished.

"Congratulations you two," he said, "What shall her name be." They looked at each other. They found a name that passed through them both in confirmation.

"Her name is…" Lemmy was unable to finish, for at that moment a laser pierced right into the cavern.

* * *

**A/N: Well, it appears that the first prison that our heroes have checked out has no sign of James's family anywhere and that it also happens to be in the Good Egg Galaxy! We have learned that many have been making colonies in space while Bowser has been turning planets in galaxies into prisons and through that that Lemmy is now a father! I bet nobody saw that coming (Especially since we haven't seen him in forever. Chapter 30 to be exact.). **

**Will Luigi and the others find James's family? What will happen to Lemmy and his family? And speaking of Koopas, where are Iggy, Shelly, and Ludwig in this time period?**

**Haven't written in a while because I got New Super Mario Bros 2! It is one of the best Mario games I've ever played. Still doesn't make my top three (Galaxy, Bowser's Inside Story, SPM), but it's pretty good. I suppose I should mention that I have my own variation of the Koopalings' ages. I see it as going, with current ages, Ludwig, Wendy, Roy, Iggy, Shelly, Morton, Larry, Lemmy, and Junior in descending order. I know that is completely wrong but oh well. That's just the way I see it. And I don't know about you guys, but I consider any variation of Koopa (Bros included) to be mammalian, despite turtle-like characteristics. I mean, the Koopalings and Bowser all have hair...**

**Cosmic Cove was in Super Mario Galaxy 2 in World 2. It is a very curious galaxy. That's all I have to say.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas and places belong to Nintendo.**


	52. Infiltrating Deep Dark

Chapter 52: Infiltrating Deep Dark

It was a few days before the heroes got the Good Egg Galaxy all organized. There was a lot of stuff going on, since people were opening up shops and stuff and building houses to stay in. The prison was torn down and thankfully, that left enough elbow room for everybody who had been imprisoned there. Luigi got the sneaking suspicion that they wouldn't ever be leaving the galaxy since they were so immersed in building a society there.

As a matter of fact, just hours before they left the galaxy, Danny told him that when a group of people got together in outer space in a galaxy, it was called a space colony, regardless of who lived there. Luigi wondered when that term had come around. And he went over a question in his head numerous times before they left. Could Bowser's reign actually be helping new communities form?

And he continued to think about that one thought as they now flew through space towards their next destination, which was a galaxy that Danny knew the name of; Deep Dark. There the prison was underwater. Luigi had no problem with that since he could hold his breath for quite a while, but when Danny mentioned the ghosts, Luigi almost jumped ten feet.

"G-g-ghosts!?" Luigi cried in panic, "Are you crazy?"

"No, as a matter of fact I'm not," said Danny, "Dad, you really need to get a grip on yourself. They're just ghosts for crying out loud!"

"But they… they…"

"Alright, enough of this," said E. Gadd as he turned around, "Do you want to find that Grand Star or not? Because I know that's why you're in this."

"Well… yes," said Luigi, "But…"

"Come on, they're just ghosts," said Danny. Before Luigi could continue the argument, E. Gadd shouted out.

"Oh, here we are!" he called, turning back to the monitor.

"Now let's stop fighting and see if we can't locate Bennet down there," said E. Gadd, "Go on you two! You can do it!" Before Luigi could respond, Danny pulled him out of the room and towards the outside of the starship.

The planetoid had been docked under the galaxy's main planetoid as they observed when they reached the outside. They were under what appeared to be a large basin. There was a metallic hole in the bottom to their right, but it was shut off.

"There," said Danny, pointing to the hole, "That's a shortcut into the base. This is one of Bowser's smaller prisons so it's not as heavily guarded." He pulled his rod from its sheath and aimed it at the hole. Then, he pressed one of the many buttons in its hidden compartment on the side and the point shot out, solidly piercing into the rock next to it.

"Let's go," said Danny. Again before Luigi could react, he pulled Luigi towards him and pressed the button again, this time pulling them towards the bottom of the giant basin. Danny began kicking the hole as they hung in space.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" asked Luigi, looking down nervously.

"Don't look down, and you'll be fine," said Danny, continuing to kick the metal as though that would make it open, "Trust me, it works." Luigi averted his gaze from downwards and then slapped himself in the face with his free hand in realization. He was the hero who was supposed to save this universe from Bowser! And he was afraid of heights and ghosts?

"Let me take a shot at this," said Luigi, now sounding more confident.

"It's about time," said Danny. Luigi charged a bit of electricity, assuming that this was mechanical as well and fired it at the metallic hole. Sure enough, it opened… and a huge fall of water began to pour out.

"Let's move!" Danny yelled. He swung into the fall of water and sheathed his staff as he did so. They both landed in the fall of water and began swimming upwards. Yes upwards. Luigi couldn't believe it was actually working. It was just hard to manage since the current was pushing against them and gravity was pulling them down. But they both made it inside in one piece, to find that the place inside was nearly drained by the time they had gotten in.

"Crud, that's not good," said Danny as the water receded.

"What isn't?" asked Luigi.

"The water's gone," said Danny, looking up, "We need it to get up there. And I predict a security alarm in three… two… one…" Right on cue, the alarm went off.

"Follow me," said Danny, "The enemies here are idiots." Luigi followed him around the corner of a rock wall and into a small cavernous hallway that led them to a smaller cavern than what they had been in. Unfortunately, this one was crawling with enemies, mainly Boos, as they looked in from behind a small stone.

"Darn it all!" Danny whispered, "There weren't this many last time… we'll just have to blast through! Do what you did in Flash Black!"

"I can't do that again!" Luigi said under his breath.

"Yes you can," said Danny, putting a hand on his father's shoulder, "I believe in you." Luigi was filled with confidence as he drew his staff, charging his energy into it and firing right into the center of the room. There was a huge blast of light and Danny and Luigi had to cover their eyes. When they opened them again, there were only a few enemies left, stunned and lying on the floor unconscious. Not one Boo remained.

"See?" said Danny, "You can destroy them. Why be afraid?" Luigi nodded and Danny led him around the central pillar of rock in the center of the cavern. Luigi disposed of the other enemies with his powers and returned to the center to find that Danny was climbing that rock.

"Up here I think," said Danny. Luigi began his climb as well, following Danny up the side of the pillar. They arrived at its top to be greeted by numerous Boos. Keeping his cool, Luigi created a bright spark of electricity and made them all vanish. They continued to the west, jumping to the next platform, which led to another rock hallway that led them to a large cavern with a pirate ship at its center.

"There!" Danny cried pointing at the pirate ship, "That's it!"

"Is that where the prisoners are held?" asked Luigi.

"Not quite," said Danny, "That's what tells us where the prisoners are held. The prison here is magical, and it warps around the galaxy continuously, but never leaves the galaxy." As they approached the pirate ship, Luigi began to wonder which Bowser used more; technology, or magic. He probably used both equally, but he couldn't help but wonder where he got all of it from. They boarded the pirate ship and Danny immediately checked the compass next to the steering wheel. Luigi walked over and the compass suddenly went haywire.

"Step back dad," said Danny, putting his hand up to stop Luigi, "I think it's reacting to your electrical energy." Luigi stepped back but the compass continued to spin out of whack.

"What's going on?" Danny asked to the air.

"What do you mean what's…" Luigi was interrupted by the sound of cackling behind him. He quickly spun around to see a ghostly figure that appeared to be a Magikoopa in purple robes.

"So… you're the ones hmm…" said the Magikoopa in a slurred voice, "The ones interfering with Bowser's reign? There are just so many of you I just don't know how to remember you all. Fortunately for me, I won't have to worry about you much longer." She suddenly flung a ball of fire from her ghostly wand at Luigi. Luigi rolled out of the way and fireball hit the deck and began rolling around.

"Not bad," said the Magikoopa, "You remind me of Mario. He did manage to kill me twenty years ago. I've been long dead since then."

"Be careful dad," said Danny, "She's a manipulator."

"Dad hmm…" said the Magikoopa, "So… you must be Luigi aren't you?" Danny smacked himself in the face. Luigi fired a blast of electricity at her from his hands but it passed right through.

"I thought so," said the Magikoopa, "Perhaps Bowser will give me my life back if I turn you in. Everyone thinks you're dead you know."

"So I've heard," said Luigi through gritted teeth, reaching slowly for his staff.

"Oh, let's not get naughty now," said the Magikoopa. She waved her wand and Thurius's staff suddenly came out of the sheath on its own and landed on the ground nearby. Luigi felt a sudden wave of weakness. He felt as though he was at the same strength he was ten years before, before his training. He tried to run for his staff but the Magikoopa stopped him with magic.

"It will take a lot more than that to defeat the mighty Kamella!" she cackled. Before Danny could make a move, she waved her wand again and he found himself stuck in place. Both of them were immobile now.

"You two are so much alike," said Kamella gleefully, "Both so reckless when you're not afraid." Luigi couldn't fight Kamella's magic. He felt weaker than when he had the staff in his grasp. So this was what had happened in the void. The staff granted him strength, enough to overcome the age that was overtaking him. He had spent so long in the void that he hadn't realized how much he had grown older. According to his biological years, he was forty one.

He had to reach his staff, but he could clearly see that he had no chance. Kamella was charging another fireball. It would incinerate both of them likely and that would be the end of it. They would have been outsmarted by a Magikoopa. But they weren't. For at that moment they heard an extremely loud, "YEEEEE-HAAAAWWW!"

E. Gadd suddenly swung from the ceiling with James on his back screaming. Kamella turned in surprise as E. Gadd pulled out a device and flashed an enormous light on her. She screamed and Luigi felt his mobility return to him. He grabbed his staff and saw that Danny was gesturing to him and then to his own rod. Luigi understood what he wanted. He let loose a small jolt of electricity into Danny's rod and Danny pressed another button on its side, causing another beam of light to flash onto Kamella.

"One more dad!" Danny called. Luigi nodded and pointed his rod at Kamella. Then he focused on the lightning flash technique, in which the center and the left side emitted an extremely bright light on the target. It worked. Kamella had vanished by the time they were done.

E. Gadd dropped down onto the deck.

"Woo-hoo!" he cried, "I haven't had that much fun in a long time!"

"That was awesome!" James cried gleefully, "Can we look for Mommy and Daddy and Janet now?"

"Yeah, but how did you know we were in trouble?" asked Danny.

"We didn't," said E. Gadd, "You guys had been gone for a while so I decided I'd join the party!"

"I guess my identity will remain secret for a little while longer," said Luigi, "Let's get to looking for the prison here."

"Oh right," said Danny. He returned to the compass and after a few minutes he looked up and said, "It's right under us." The four of them approached the deck of the ship and looked into the water. Sure enough, down below was a small complex of buildings, hidden underneath the ship.

"Come on," said Danny, sheathing his rod and jumping into the lake in order to swim down.

"You go on ahead," said E. Gadd, "I'll catch up with this little guy."

"I wanna go!" James cried.

"You will young one," said E. Gadd, "You will." And with that, Luigi jumped into the water.

* * *

He swam down through the doors and up into an airtight room, where Danny was already freeing prisoners.

"I knew I should have taken care of her the first time," Danny was mumbling to himself as he shorted out the lock on the last cage in the hallway. This prison appeared to house mainly Monty Moles. There were a few Toads here and there, but mostly Monties. They continued on through the prison, freeing the few prisoners there were, until they reached the last one. When Danny pushed open the doors, he gasped.

"I knew these doors weren't here before!" he cried, "I just knew it!" He ran into the room. Luigi dashed into the room after him and his heart skipped a beat.

"What in the name of Thurius are you three doing here?" he asked in shock.

* * *

**A/N: I again apologize for long waits. School is seriously stressing me out. Well anyways, Luigi, Danny, E. Gadd, and James have successfully infiltrated Bowser Deep Dark prison... after recieving some grief from the witty Kamella. And now Luigi and Danny have come across three apparently familiar people. Who could they be? Are they James's family? Or are they others? And if they aren't James's family, where are they?**

**Deep Dark was a galaxy in the original Super Mario Galaxy. One of my personal favorites for the Boo in a Box mission. Kamella was a boss in this galaxy, but now she is dead from being defeated three times in the original, and now a fourth in this story. Thank you for those who have waited patiently for chapters to be updated. It's hard for me to have huge gaps in between chapters as well, since I want to write but can't because I have more important things to do. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	53. Reunitions: Good and Bad

Chapter 53: Reunitions: Good and Bad

"What are you three doing here?" Luigi asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe it. Sitting in front of him in the cell within the Deep Dark Galaxy's prison were the three Star Cure Guardians, Canzor, Chlorus, and Herman.

"We could ask you the same thing," said Canzor, "Where in the universe have you been?"

"Let's just say," said Danny, breaking into the conversation, "My dad will explain later. Right now we'd better get you out of here."

After they had gotten the guardians out, Luigi was able to tell them what had happened and what they were doing currently. In exchange, the guardians shared how they had gotten into the prison.

"It was terrible…" said Chlorus sadly, "We were held captive until Bowser's forces had retaken the entire planet and then we were brought here."

"So Tanya wasn't kidding," Luigi said to himself under his breath. He also cursed the Koopa King silently in his head, reinstating his vow to destroy Bowser. E. Gadd rushed into the room suddenly with James on his back.

"Guys, you may want to come see this… who are they?" he said. James had his face buried in E. Gadd's shoulder.

"We'll explain later," said Luigi, "What's going on?"

"Nothing good," said E. Gadd, "How did they get to us so quickly?" Something purple dripped from the ceiling and hit the ground at Herman's feet. It burned right through the floor.

"Oh gosh," said Danny, "We have to get out of here. Now. Cover your face dad. He'll kill you on sight."

"He'll?" asked Luigi.

"You don't want to know," said Danny, "Now, let's go!" He took James from E. Gadd and cradled the young Bro in his arms as he ran out of the room. E. Gadd left the room and the guardians followed him. Luigi waited a few more moments before pulling his hood over his face and walking out after them.

* * *

Danny was right. Luigi really needed to keep his face hidden. He fully understood where the somehow acidic purple substance had come from. It had been poisonous paint. And that paint came from the brush of none other than Bowser Jr., who didn't look very junior any more. Bowser Jr. had grown to his father's size at least and might have continued growing. There were almost no differences between the two. The only things were that Bowser Jr. continued to wear his bib to cover his mouth and his eyes were vividly different.

The second Junior saw the heroes from his airship over the pirate ship, he threw at least three different colors of paint at them from his brush. The yellow paint missed and smashed directly into one of the spotlights at the top of the cavern, causing an electrical charge that shorted it out. The blue one hit at the heroes feet and icicles grew from the splash it created, threatening to stab the heroes in front of them. The red paint would have hit dead on if Luigi hadn't blasted it with his staff.

Flames flew everywhere from the explosion and the pirate ship nearby them was set on fire.

"I'll lead them out!" said Danny, "You take care of them!" Understanding that the comment was directed at him, Luigi nodded and readied his staff.

"You can't escape me!" Junior screamed. He flung red paint at the way they had come into the cavern. A fire blocked the exit. Luigi ignored the fact and turned to face Junior. He twirled the staff in his hand and pointed it at his opponent. Junior wasn't fazed. He simply pointed his own weapon at Luigi. The two of them both unleashed their blasts at the same time. Junior this time shot green paint, which immediately burst into twisted vines that hit the electricity and absorbed it. The vines fell to the ground in a twisted mess nearby Luigi. Out of the corner of his eye, Luigi saw that the others had escaped through some other exit.

"Who are you?" Junior yelled, "I demand to know who you are in the name of King Bowser!"

"Or what?" asked Luigi. Junior apparently was too enraged to recognize his voice and jumped down off of the airship, charging at him with amazing speed for such a large Koopa. Luigi countered a swing of the paintbrush with his staff and sent a small charge through in order to stun Junior for a second. It worked for about half a second, but in that half of a second, Luigi was able to knock Junior to the ground. But again, in almost less than half a second, Junior rolled out of the way before Luigi could shock him again.

Luigi kicked Junior in the stomach, but Junior appeared unaffected. He charged forward at Luigi, attempting a close range paint job with purple paint but Luigi knew from experience that these attempts were futile. He was able to knock Junior's brush out of his hands and almost into the water. They were still for a few seconds before Junior tried to dash over and retrieve his brush, but Luigi blocked him and shocked him with his staff. Junior fell on his bottom to the ground.

"Give it up," said Luigi, "Go tell your father that he will fall soon."

"Never!" Junior said weakly. Before Luigi could react, Junior had pushed him to the ground. He was able to retrieve his paintbrush just before Luigi caught him with in an electrical trap the hilt of his staff. Luigi pulled himself up, picking up something that he had seen on the ground nearby.

"Wrong word," said Luigi, as he swallowed the item whole. This time he felt his body becoming increasingly stronger. His hat and clothing turned to solid rock. His cloak melted into the rockiness of his clothing but his hood remained over his head and he sheathed his staff. Junior stared at him with a wicked glare. This was his Rock form, Zaprock Luigi.

Luigi rolled himself into an electrified boulder immediately, and rolled at Bowser Jr. Junior managed to evade him and Luigi managed himself not to fall into the water. Junior tried flinging purple paint at him again, but it was useless against the electrified boulder flying at top speed towards him. Junior was struck hard by the boulder and thrown against a nearby wall. Luigi burst out of his boulder form and looked up at where Junior had landed. He was one cliff up from the ground and Luigi slammed into it in order to make the Koopa fall. Junior would have done just that if Luigi hadn't suddenly been knocked to the ground and powered down by someone.

Luigi struggled to get up but he was pushed down again.

"Stay down or suffer the consequences," said a deep male voice from behind him. He felt something sharp under his neck. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Junior had jumped down on his own and was approaching him.

"What are we going to do?" asked Junior.

"What do you think we're going to do?" said the other person in response, "We're going to imprison him… right after we find out who he is, a fact I'm surprised you didn't discover."

"You know who he is!?" cried Junior in disbelief.

"Of course I do," said the other person. Luigi took this opportunity of argument to zap both of the people behind him. Whatever was under his neck was gone now and he was able to turn himself over and jump to his feet, only to find himself looking into the eyes of someone he never expected to see again.

"Peter," he said breathlessly.

Had he not been informed that his nephew had gone to the dark side, Luigi might have embraced him right there, but instead, he charged his powers in order to knock them both out of the way. He released the blast but Peter seemed unfazed, though Junior was knocked backwards.

"Please uncle, try to act like you actually got stronger over another ten years," said Peter, "Or has age gotten caught up to you?" The answer to a question he had been asking himself since he left the void clicked in his head. The staff imparted power to him so that he didn't feel the effects of aging. When he became out of range of the staff's power, age caught up to him and he couldn't fight as well. After all, being forty one didn't help anything at all.

But Luigi had the staff with him now and he tackled Peter, only to find himself overpowered and pushed to the edge of the lake where Junior was waiting to singe him. The Koopa looked absolutely pissed off.

"You are going to die for what you've done!" Junior screamed. But before he could burn Luigi to a crisp, Peter stopped him.

"Hold on Junior," he said, "I think King Bowser will want to deal with him personally." He gave a wicked grin and walked over, seizing Luigi by the arm. To Luigi's surprise, Peter whispered something into his ear.

"Go to the Dusty Dunes Galaxy," he whispered. Luigi was shocked, so shocked that he accidentally zapped Peter and Junior both. Seeing his chance he dashed for the exit he assumed his allies had taken. He took one more look at Junior, who was on his knees glaring towards Luigi's direction, and Peter, who he thought he saw wink before he drew his staff and zapped the top of the cavern, causing stalactites and rocks to fall everywhere in the cavern. Then he left without even thinking to look back again.

* * *

Luigi explained what had happened to his allies on the ship after they had left. They took it rather lightly, even Chlorus who had treated Peter as though he was her brother.

"We all know," said Chlorus sadly, "It's not a mystery."

"Will those freed prisoners be alright?" asked Luigi to Danny.

"They'll be fine," said Danny, "I told them to stay in the prison. It'll warp somewhere and then they'll be able to leave. I don't think that Bowser will be going back there anytime soon." They were all silent for quite a while before Herman spoke for the first time.

"We can't all stay on this ship," he said.

"He's right," said Canzor, "We're going to have to find a place you can drop us off." Luigi wasn't listening. In the silence he had gotten to thinking about Peter again and what he had said about going the Dusty Dunes. He wondered over and over again whether he should trust his nephew's advice.

"Dad, where should we take them?" asked Danny snapping him out of his trance.

"I have an idea," said Luigi quickly, "But first we need to go to the Dusty Dunes Galaxy." Danny had a surprised look on his face.

"I was going to mention that place after we figured out where we should take them," said Danny, "That's the location of another one of the prisons Bowser has."

"Well then, let's head there and then decide where would be a good place for these three to stay," said E. Gadd.

"I've got an idea for that too, but first, we must head to Dusty Dunes," said Luigi, "I have a feeling we'll find something there." James, who had been sitting in silence on Danny's lap the whole time spoke up in a soft voice.

"Daddy and Mommy and Janet?" he asked for about the fiftieth time.

"Perhaps," said Luigi in answer.

"I'm for it," said Canzor.

"I am as well," said Chlorus, though she sounded reluctant. Herman nodded and Danny gave his consent through a thumbs up to E. Gadd.

"Alright then," said the professor, "Setting a course for the Dusty Dunes Galaxy. Hold on." The ship lurched to top speed and disappeared into the depths of space towards the predestined galaxy, Luigi in hopes that Peter could be trusted still, even after going against them.

* * *

**A/N: The former Star Cure guardians have been found in the Deep Dark Galaxy prison! Peter has met Luigi face to face for the first time in ten years, but this time, they were on opposite sides! But Peter has slipped the fact that Luigi should go to Dusty Dunes next. Can Peter be trusted by the heroes? If so, what will they find? But if not, what is waiting for them?**

**Dusty Dunes was a very large galaxy in the original Super Mario Galaxy. It is a few notches under Freezeflame on my favorites list since I liked all of the Bedroom galaxies. Also, I believe that presently in the video games (not in this story) Luigi and Mario are twenty one, which is why Luigi is forty one in the story currently. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	54. Battle at the Dusty Dunes: Part 1

Chapter 54: Battle at the Dusty Dunes Part 1

The starship flew through outer space at top speed towards its destination. Dusty Dunes was quite a distance from Deep Dark, and it had taken a good two days to figure out which direction they had to go in due to E. Gadd's confused antics, or what he called, "His mind getting old." When they had gotten in the right direction, they got into a little skirmish with a passing airship that they quickly brought down. Then they continued their journey towards the galaxy they sought.

A few hours into the third day, Danny spotted Dusty Dunes far in the distance. A sandstorm was raging around it.

"There it is!" Danny called to all of the others, "Dusty Dunes dead ahead!" They wouldn't be able to actually get within the galaxy because of the sandstorm, which was likely of natural causes, since Bowser hadn't been reported to be able to manipulate the weather yet. In any way, Luigi would be the only one entering the galaxy, since Danny trusted his skills and didn't want anybody else to go. According to Luigi's son, Dusty Dunes was one of the most treacherous of the galaxies lying in the universe, home to one of Bowser's largest prisons.

As they drew closer to the galaxy, the people on the starship noticed that there were numerous airships flying around its perimeter. A large set of two sand covered discs lied in the galaxy's center, and that was where most of the airships were gathered.

"That's where the main prison is," said Danny, pointing at the discs. He pointed out other prisons, such as the one within a double inverted pyramid, and another hidden within a secret area only accessible by a warp pipe somewhere on one of the blatant rings covered in moving sand, before Luigi got ready to depart.

"Dad, be careful," said Danny as Luigi concentrated on using the Grand Star to lift him up, "The guards here are among some of the best." Luigi nodded and flew off of the ship using the Grand Star's power. At first he headed towards the two discs, but seeing as there were airships flying around everywhere in that area, he veered to the right and towards the double inverted pyramid.

There were actually some airships flying into the area of the double inverted pyramid as well. Luigi figured that they were bringing prisoners in and decided to lurk on one of them. He quickly and silently flew himself over to the last one in the procession of three, seeing as it had a small hole in its side. He slipped through that hole and into the airship.

When he observed his surroundings, he quickly ducked for cover. Koopas were patrolling the area, where there were small cramped cells full of, surprisingly enough, other Koopas.

"They must not be on Bowser's side…" Luigi said to himself. He looked around but saw none who looked familiar.

"_That's funny,_" thought Luigi, "_Why am I looking for familiar Koopas?_" He didn't have any more time to think about it because at that moment, a Koopa guard poked his head around the crate he had hidden behind. Luigi zapped him, which unfortunately drew the other Koopas' attention. They charged at him thoughtlessly and he knocked them out of the way with his staff. He put them in a stun loop, another technique he had figured out in which the enemy was tied up in a knot of electricity and prevented from moving, and then threw them off of the ship and into oblivion.

"Stay quiet everyone!" Luigi whispered. He began working on the locks on the cages, which turned out to be automated by electrical power as well.

"_Not the smartest idea,_" he thought to himself. He disabled all of the locks and the Koopas were set free.

"Thank you sir," said one of the Koopas after they were all free, "We are indebted to you."

"Where did you guys get taken from?" asked Luigi, still in a low voice. The Koopa got the idea and responded, "We are from the Cosmic Cove space colony. We were taken in an assault by Bowser's forces." Luigi didn't have any idea in the slightest where Cosmic Cove was, so he couldn't imagine how long they had been stuck on this ship.

"Are there others on the other ships that are from Cosmic Cove?" asked Luigi.

"Yes," said the Koopa, "We all are. You must find Lemmy. If you can get him out, perhaps you can keep us from getting into the prison." Luigi was shocked at hearing Lemmy's name. He hadn't seen the Koopa since long before in the Bubble Blast galaxy.

"D-did you just say Lemmy?" asked Luigi in shock.

"Why yes," said the Koopa, "He is… or was a very important figure in our colony. Free him and his wife and daughter. Then you should be able to get us out of here." Luigi, recovering from his shock, nodded hesitantly. But before he could fly out of the side of the ship, it grew dark. They were entering the prison.

* * *

Luigi made quick work of the guards on deck before the airship came to a halt. They didn't put up much of a fight thanks to the stun loop technique that he was getting better at. He ordered the Cosmic Cove Koopas to stay below deck until the airship stopped. Then he would give further orders.

The double inverted pyramid was expansive, and there were cells from top to bottom, from one tip to the other. An airship dock where they were currently docking was a circle in the center of the pyramid, dividing it in half horizontally, though it didn't make the lower half invisible, but rather only covered up the center point of the pyramid. Only about a quarter of the cells were full, causing Luigi to assume that most of the prisoners were in the disc prisons.

Luigi quickly ordered the Koopas from Cosmic Cove to stay below deck away from the hole in the side of the hull, and then ducked behind another crate on the deck. Paratroopas flew on when the ship came to a complete stop and Luigi noticed that they looked confused.

"_Uh-oh,_" he thought. He wasn't getting out of this without a fight. He quickly zapped the Paratroopas silently and they all fell unconscious on the deck. He crawled out of his hiding spot and tied up the Paratroopas in a stun loop. The other Paratroopas flanking the ship from the side now seemed confused and floated onto the ship.

"_Yep, definitely not getting out of here without a fight,_" Luigi thought. Just as the Paratroopas were boarding, Luigi let loose a blast of electricity and they were all knocked backwards out of the ship, either down to the landing docks or to the lower levels.

Now all of the enemies had their focus onto the ship Luigi had boarded. Luigi quickly formulated a plan in his head and charged into the wave of enemies charging on the ship. Luigi took down the first line, but many more were still coming. Luigi almost felt overpowered as he knocked them out of the way with his electricity. Now he understood what Danny meant by these guys being elite. He drew his staff and cleared the area around him, giving him just enough room to escape the charging Koopas upwards.

As he fell, he jumped on Koopa after Koopa, shelling them as he did so and eventually he got out of the swarm. However, it was out of the frying pan and into the toaster, as just as he had earned his freedom, another wave came around the other side of the docks. He quickly charged what was small charge of electricity for his staff and zapped some of the Koopas out of the lines so that he had more time to jump on the ship next to him, which had been the second ship in the procession that had been approaching the double inverted pyramid.

Quickly, Luigi took out the Koopas that were trying to board the ship and then rushed below deck. It was another group of Koopas that Lemmy was not among. He explained that he would need them to stay put until he was able to take down all of the enemies that were attacking him. He blasted a hole in the side of this ship's hull and jumped back out to the docks, to the surprise of the Koopas that had been attacking, some of which were blown off of the dock by the sudden blast, and others who had been on the ship already and trying to get to the lower deck.

Luigi took advantage of this chaos to rush around to the third ship and board it, taking the stairs to reach its lower deck. Just as the Koopa on the first ship had said, he found Lemmy Koopa sitting in one of the jail cells on the lower deck with a tiny Koopaling and a female with him.

"You!" Lemmy and Luigi yelled at the same time. Before a conversation could begin, the Koopas burst right into the hull for them and Luigi concentrated his power and blasted them again. Almost the whole group was blasted out of the way, but more kept coming.

"_Where are they coming from?_" Luigi thought. He flung a plasma bolt at the remaining ones who were blasted out of the way just long enough for Luigi to be able to look out of the hole in the hull and see that a dark cloud was at the top of the pyramid.

"That's it!" Luigi cried. The Koopas were falling from that cloud. It was just another demonstration of what powerful magic Bowser had.

"But where is he getting it all?" Luigi asked himself. Lemmy overheard him and in a brief moment of silence he said, "Get us out and I'll explain!" Luigi decided it was best to trust the Koopa and disabled the locks on the few cages that were on this airship. Just as the Koopas within the cages were getting out, another wave of Koopas stormed into the ship, but this time, they had guns of some sort.

They shot them at Luigi, who was knocked to the ground by a sudden smack. He found himself unable to move his arms. He struggled to try to get free, even using his electrical powers, though they were disabled. He looked around and saw that the same thing had happened to the Koopas on the ship. A figure stood over him.

"Well, well, look who we have here," said the Ice Bro, Friese.

* * *

Peter walked the halls of Bowser's Castle solemnly. Bowser had been shocked to hear that Luigi had suddenly reappeared in the universe and ordered that if he was seen, he was to be destroyed. He had let Peter and Bowser Jr. off of the hook for finding the "idiot" plumber. As he moved towards the prisoner area, he stopped himself, knowing that Bowser had become suspicious, even in his insanity, of his common visits to the room.

He recounted the events of the last ten years. He'd given himself the worst name possible on purpose, knowing that it was the best thing to do in order to earn Bowser's favor. His true goal however had been to keep Bowser from becoming so powerful that even Peter's uncle couldn't defeat him. Even as an eight year old, he saw through Bowser's plots to retake the universe. He saw the insanity in Bowser's eyes, knowing that the Koopa King would probably do something crazy like take over the universe all over again. He had been right.

He only hoped that when this was all over, his family would still trust him. He couldn't bear to think that Luigi and Danny would hate him for the rest of his life, or his mother for that matter, who he had found long before to have been evicted from the prison. He also had another goal; that is to find Dark Mario, wherever Bowser had sent him. He had a feeling that his uncle would do that for him. Dark Mario was also apparently banished by Bowser and Peter would need as much help as possible to keep Bowser under control.

"Hurry uncle," said Peter to himself, "You must hurry. I don't know how I can keep this charade up much longer." Kamek had been on him since the start, so he hadn't been safe for a second. At one point in time, Kamek had almost figured him out, but he held his own and eventually at one point in time, Kamek believed that he was actually on the side of the Koopas.

He remembered what he had told his uncle back in Deep Dark a few days before.

"Go to Dusty Dunes," he had said. He figured that with Danny's help, his uncle would be able to get through the defense system, but now he was worried. Friese had been sent out to reinforce the galaxies defenses, and that Ice Bro did not play nicely when it came to nemeses, one of which Luigi most certainly was to all of the Koopas on Bowser's side.

Giving it no further thought, he rushed to the room where magic was generated and broadcast all across the universe, a device based off of the powers of block peoples' magical powers and technology in a mix. It was often used to generate Koopas at random wherever the user wanted, or simply cast spells that would hinder the enemies of the Koopa Troop, but Peter had used it more than once to the good side's advantage in complete secrecy. It was time to pull some strings in the battle of the Dusty Dunes.

* * *

**A/N: I apologize… again… for not updating quickly. Enough of that though, Luigi has begun his infiltration of Dusty Dunes now and rediscovered Lemmy and the Cosmic Cove Koopas! Peter's full intentions have been revealed and now it appears as though he is going to try to help his uncle in the battle at Dusty Dunes. Will Peter's little help be enough to get Luigi out of the pickle he is in? What will happen if he does get out of this pickle? And what will happen if he doesn't?**

**A small reference to Super Smash Bros Brawl lies in this chapter. The dark cloud is representative of the black holes in the Subspace Emissary that spurt out enemies constantly until they are destroyed.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo. **


	55. Battle at the Dusty Dunes: Part 2

Chapter 55: Battle at the Dusty Dunes: Part 2

Luigi struggled as much as he possibly could against the bonds that held him, but they were about as strong as his stun loop, which was practically impossible to break out of. He felt the Koopas picking him up on Friese's command and carrying him out through the hole to the docks. He heard Lemmy struggling against the Koopas back on the ship but Friese yelled at him and Luigi heard no more.

He was sure this was it; he would be imprisoned and Bowser would likely execute him or something like that. He had no idea how wrong he was. The next ten seconds would be a blur to him. Within the first two seconds, Luigi felt his bonds suddenly dissolve and his arms free, to which he quickly zapped those carrying him and then, once on the ground, he zapped them again and charged at Friese at the beginning of the third second. Friese was struck down by Luigi's staff within the fourth and fifth seconds and the two tussled for three more seconds after that before Luigi disabled him with a stun loop. The last two seconds consisted of a storm of rebel Koopas charging the enemies.

Luigi again was unable to process what happened next. He found Lemmy fighting by his side as he instinctively fought off the Koopas, who seemed to be dwindling in number quickly. Then when Luigi slashed his staff through one of them, or rather right before he did, it disappeared at random, vanishing into thin air. This did not faze him at first and he continued, but the more and more he took down the Koopas, the more of them vanished into thin air right before his eyes. This went on until no enemy was left and the prison was silent. Friese had slipped away somehow. Luigi turned to Lemmy after nearly five minutes.

"What on earth just happened?" asked Luigi. Lemmy sighed.

"This is a long story," said Lemmy, "It will take quite a while to explain. Let's free the prisoners. Then I will do so." Luigi nodded reluctantly, still wondering if he could trust the Koopa, who now looked as though he had matured fully and was not the crazy kid he had been twenty years back. He had disappeared from his father's side, and from the universe for that matter, and apparently, or so it seemed, he was a father himself now.

Lemmy cut it to Luigi the second everyone in the double inverted pyramid was free.

"This is what happened," he said as the freed prisoners began manning airships in order to take down the rest of the guards to Bowser's prisons, "Ten years ago, when you reappeared, or rather before you reappeared, we had made an alliance with the block people, or most of them, because they had magical qualities far surpassing the ones we ourselves had." He said the word 'we' with disgust, further suggesting that he was no longer on the side of his father.

"My younger brother, Junior, was sent out to find every block person he could possibly find in the universe, but I didn't stay long enough to see it happen," said Lemmy, "It obviously did though. Iggy had shown me multiple times the plans for a magic machine. It was supposed to be a machine powered by small parts of the block people's energy cores, which my…" He cut his little speech short. He seemed to be harboring hatred in his eyes.

"Lemmy… go on," said Luigi. A tear dropped to the floor.

"Bowser succeeded as you have just seen," said Lemmy, "As I said before, I did not stay long enough to see the success of the machine, but it obviously worked. I've seen its effects everywhere I've travelled after I left Bowser's side. Including in Cosmic Cove…"

"That's where you went?" asked Luigi.

"Yes, and I'm right glad I did," said Lemmy, raising his face to meet Luigi's, "If I hadn't I wouldn't have met Trisha." He gestured to the Koopa who had been with him in the cage, who was now comforting the infant in her arms. She sat against the large support pole that held up the double inverted pyramids inside.

"She is your wife?" asked Luigi. Lemmy nodded.

"And then there is our newborn daughter…" said Lemmy, "They attacked maybe a week ago on Cosmic Cove and took all of us. I'm surprised no one was killed. Actually, more glad than surprised." The airships had begun moving out of the pyramid by now. Luigi quickly contacted Danny and told him not to attack them as they moved out. Then they continued with their conversation.

"How long have you been back?" asked Lemmy.

"Just about as long as it's been since you were kidnapped," said Luigi, "Not even a week I think."

"So I don't suppose you would know anything about if any of my siblings are alive or not," said Lemmy. Luigi bit his lip.

"I… I know for a fact that four of them are dead," said Luigi.

"So I've heard," said Lemmy solemnly, "What about the ones that are supposed to be still alive?"

"I don't know," said Luigi, "I have no clue where they went. I'm pretty sure that three others aside from you have left Bowser's side. Bowser Jr. on the other hand…"

"That's understandable," said Lemmy, "We aren't even really Bowser's children." Luigi was shocked.

"Wh-what!?" Luigi said in disbelief, "B-but…"

"Adoption, Luigi," said Lemmy, "It's easier for us as Koopalings to let go of our pasts because Bowser isn't really our father. None of us are really interrelated genetically at all. Junior on the other hand… he is Bowser's blood son. I know for a fact that he would never leave Bowser's side." The little child in Trisha's arms began whimpering. Lemmy sat down next to Trisha and put his arm around her as she attempted to comfort the baby.

"What is her name?" Luigi asked suddenly.

"We have called her Clarisse," said Lemmy in response. Before the conversation could continue, Luigi's bracelet flashed.

"We found him!" Danny's voice cried. Luigi stood up.

"Found who?" asked Luigi.

"Bennet!" Danny cried, "He's here!" Lemmy perked up. Luigi paused for a few seconds before he felt the Grand Star in his cloak resonating.

"I must go," said Luigi.

"We'll go with you," said Lemmy, jumping up and then helping Trisha up as a well.

"Are you sure?" asked Luigi, concerned about their safety around the others on the starship.

"Positive," said Lemmy, "Let's go." With that, they gathered up the Cosmic Cove Koopas, who had stayed behind in the pyramid to make sure everyone was safe (Luigi deduced that they were one of the closely knitted societies that Danny had called colonies), and left the pyramid prison.

* * *

When they flew outside, they found that the weather had cleared up drastically. The winds were crisp and clean and the sandstorm had subsided.

"So it was Bowser's magic…" Luigi thought to himself. Luigi decided that he was right ten years before when he thought in Drip Drop that all of the block people were on Bowser's side. Lemmy had confirmed it further and the sudden clearing of the stormy weather proved his theory. The airships were all over the galaxy now, but none of them turned on them as they floated towards the starship of the heroes, causing a further assumption that the galaxy had been pretty much liberated from Bowser's control.

Luigi had contacted Danny ahead of time to assure that he wouldn't freak out when he saw that Lemmy was on board with him. As soon as they got within range of the starship, Luigi used the Grand Star's power to lift Lemmy and his family, as well as himself, up to it.

As all of them walked into the inner core of the planetoid starship, Luigi noticed new faces. A Boomerang Bro was speaking with Danny and holding James in his arms and two other "Bros" were nearby them. These Bros however, had long hair protruding from underneath their helmets and their attire was pink. Luigi noticed that Lemmy and the Boomerang Bro appeared to be staring daggers at each other as they entered.

"Ah, there you are," said Danny. He kept a straight face as he and all of the rest of those who had not seen them come in acknowledged their presence. They all knew that Lemmy was coming in with his family, but still, most all of them seemed wary, especially the former Star Cure Guardians and the Bros who had just joined the group.

Danny had E. Gadd press a button on the dashboard and a long table popped up out of the ground. He gestured for everyone to sit down and everyone did so, Luigi with continuous amazement and pride at his son's ingenuity. As soon as all were seated, they began an impromptu meeting.

"All right," said Danny, "I didn't exactly anticipate having so many others join us, but so be it. First things first, Dad, this is Bennet…" The Boomerang Bro waved coolly at Luigi.

"A pleasure to meet you," he said, "Though I already know much about who you are." Luigi nodded, remembering that Bennet was on Bowser's side at one point in time, and in that one point in time, he and Mario were probably set against him a lot.

"Next, I would like a full explanation of what Lemmy is doing here," said Danny. Lemmy repeated his story, adding in the part about actually being in Gusty Gardens when Tanya visited him and he cut his ties to the dark side. Bennet seemed surprised at this. He seemed tired by the time he reached the part about Cosmic Cove, so Trisha took over for him and told the rest of the story. Danny nodded.

"So you are a traitor now too," said Bennet.

"I don't think our boat is quite full yet," said Lemmy, "I believe my siblings who are still alive are traitors as well, aside from Junior of course…"

"We came here to retrieve a Grand Star did we not?" asked Chlorus, breaking into the conversation. There were a few moments of silence as Bennet looked around the room at all of the eyes staring at him.

"Go on dear," said the taller pink clothed Bro, "They do need it more than we do." Luigi assumed that she was Ella, which meant the other Bro in pink sitting next to her was James' sister, Janet. James was asleep in his father's lap. After a few more minutes had passed, Bennet nodded.

"Yes, I do have a Grand Star," said Bennet. He looked up at Luigi. However, another interruption came upon them before he could say anymore. Tanya appeared from nowhere, standing on the table. Nobody flinched.

"I'm sure I've acquainted with all of you," said Tanya as her eyes darted across the table. There were numerous nods and murmurs of agreement. Tanya's eyes settled on Bennet.

"Let doubt not plague you," said Tanya, "The one to whom you speak is surely the hero of legend."

"The Mage of Thunder," Bennet said softly. Tanya nodded.

"Take the star you hold back home," said Tanya, "There is where its power may be accessed. Only when the star holders have been reunited with their homes will the stars shine forth the path into the evil realm."

"Wait, so I don't need to take the stars?" asked Luigi.

"Did I say you had to?" asked Tanya turning back around. Just looking into Tanya's eyes made him think of one of the lines of prophecy she had mentioned when he had come back from his decade with Thurius. "_Two, a traitor to that king…_" he thought. As if reading his mind, Tanya addressed Lemmy.

"The prophecies spoke true about you," said Tanya. Lemmy seemed confused.

"The four that shall leave shall become fugitives throughout space," she said, "Three shall settle down, while one shall come to have a larger part in this prophecy." Luigi decided against what he was thinking. Lemmy couldn't possibly be the traitor spoken of in the prophecy, because he had found a wife and had a child. Once he and his fellow colony members got back to Cosmic Cove, they would be fine.

Tanya then surprisingly turned to E. Gadd.

"The eldest shall fall at the hands of the wisest enemy," said Tanya forebodingly. Luigi considered her words for a second in sheer terror. Would E. Gadd really… Before he could formulate the thought, Tanya pushed it out of his mind by turning to Canzor.

"The one you would have sought had you not been imprisoned searches for you," said Tanya, "He leads a group of rebels in his search." Luigi could feel the griffin's heart leap. He knew good and well what Tanya meant. Daniel was somewhere in space, searching for Canzor. Tanya turned to no more of the people seated there. Everyone was silent for a few minutes. Then Tanya finally said, addressing Luigi, "Look for the lost genius." Then she twirled and vanished. There were no more words. The meeting was adjourned immediately.

* * *

Peter slouched back in the chair by the magic machine in tiredness. His fingers were cramped from typing so many commands into the keyboard. Luigi took down enemies fast. He was glad Kamek hadn't found him. If Bowser questioned why his magic had suddenly disappeared from the galaxy, Peter would bring it up as a simple mishap in the programming, try to fix it, and fail on purpose, saying that they had lost control there entirely.

All that mattered was that he had done it. His uncle had found the Boomerang Bro he was looking for. Now Peter wondered where he would go next. Perhaps he would continue following whatever prophecy that Tanya had set out for him now. It obviously involved finding Grand Stars, because he knew for a fact that this Bennet was a holder of a Grand Star.

"But who else do I know that also has one?" he asked himself. No one came to mind. He would just have to wait and see what his uncle's next move would be and be ready to help him indirectly whenever possible.

* * *

**A/N: I've had no time for writing lately… schoolwork and Pokémon White 2 aren't helping much… Oh well, I'll try to update when I can. So, lots of info in this chapter that Tanya has revealed to us. First, Tanya has hinted at where exactly the other living Koopalings are. Second, it has been revealed that the Koopalings are adopted in this story, as I believe they are in the actual games since it has been pointed out to me that the Koopalings actually are not related to Bowser :o! I know, I don't like the idea of them not being his children either. So that's why I made them adopted! It still fits right? Third, Daniel the Griffin is out in space somewhere! Which means he will be rejoining us sometime in the story! And finally, Tanya has mentioned looking for a lost genius. I wonder who that could be… we'll find out! ;D**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	56. Conversations

Chapter 56: Conversations

Just as it had been in Good Egg, the heroes were in Dusty Dunes for a few days, helping the very large number of former prisoners set up their colony. There was such a wide array of them, yet the number of planets in the large galaxy held them all. They didn't seem bothered by the sandy nature. The Cosmic Cove Koopas would take some of the airships and head back towards Cosmic Cove, except for Lemmy and his family, who would stay with the heroes in order to search for his lost siblings.

On the last day they would spend in Dusty Dunes, Luigi revealed his plan to his allies.

"We'll take the guardians to Flipswitch to live with the Paper gang," said Luigi, "Bowser is still unaware of that galaxy's presence correct?" Danny nodded.

"I'm staying on this ship," said Herman, who had been listening in on their conversation.

"Why is that?" asked Luigi.

"No reason," said Herman, "I feel as though you might need my help."

"Fine," said Luigi. After the guardians had been taken back to Flipswitch, they would take Bennet and his family back to Gusty Gardens. Had it not been for Tanya showing up again for no particular reason, they would have had to make both trips. She volunteered to warp Chlorus and Canzor to Flipswitch, to which they agreed. Before they left, Luigi spoke to Canzor about Tanya's words from the days before.

"Luigi, if you find my son, tell him I'm alright," said Canzor.

"I will," said Luigi, "Don't worry. Tanya said he's leading a resistance of some sort."

"Perhaps those who escaped in the Mushroom Kingdom when we were captured," said Canzor, "I remember hearing about a jailbreak before we were brought into space."

"Maybe," said Luigi. They talked no more and Chlorus and Canzor were off to Flipswitch. Then it was off to Gusty Gardens for the heroes. Bennet and Luigi didn't talk much on the way. Most of the time Luigi just stared at him and wondered what his life had been like, and if they had ever met on the battlefield before. It was pretty much silent all the way to Gusty Gardens. Then the conversation started.

"So this is where we part," said Bennet as they arrived at the planet that the heroes had been at just a week before where they had met James and begun their search for Bennet and his family.

"It is," said Luigi, trying to at least say a few words before they left the Boomerang Bro who held the Grand Star.

"It has been an honor to travel with the hero who is to save the universe," said Bennet.

"I don't know if I'd go so far as to honor me," said Luigi, "I've left the universe hanging for twenty years total when I could have been keeping it safe…"

"It is none of your fault," said Bennet, "Fate is the only culprit." He put a hand on Luigi's shoulder.

"I was destined to become one who would oppose Bowser," he said with a smile, "Ella convinced me of that over twenty years ago. We fled together and we ended up here. With the Power Stars we had found throughout the universe, we were able to have our own Grand Star. I believe that it has granted us good fortune. That is why I was so reluctant to let go of it."

"But you won't have to," said Luigi, "You only need to keep it here."

"Yes, I do," said Bennet, "I feel that you have your own though." Luigi nodded slowly, remembering that the Grand Stars were attracted to each other like magnets.

"Perhaps they have different strengths," said Bennet, "Maybe yours will bring you luck along your path."

"Perhaps it will," said Luigi.

"Dad, we need to get going!" Danny called from the ship nearby. Luigi took one last look at the Boomerang Bro's face and he nodded, ensuring that he would use the Grand Star in order to allow Luigi's entry into Bowser's realm. He used the Grand Star within his cloak to fly up to the ship and ten minutes later they circled around the cube planetoid and were off.

* * *

Luigi got into a conversation with Lemmy, since he seemed rather nostalgic right after they had left.

"That was where I went after you convinced me to quit evil," said Lemmy once Luigi had inquired about his pained expression, "That was where my journey out of my past deeds began."

"You said that, I remember now," said Luigi.

"I did," said Lemmy, "I dumped my wand into the Bonefin Galaxy's waters and I bolted."

"Why?" asked Luigi.

"Da… I mean, Bowser had tracking devices in the wands to make sure we weren't doing anything stupid or crazy," said Lemmy, "He was a bit overprotective I think."

"It's no wonder he's been so crazy himself lately," said Luigi. Lemmy looked up at him.

"How would you know that?" he asked.

"Tanya told me," said Luigi, "She said that he had gone crazy after eight of his kids had left him and taken the universe back. She said he rules the universe with an iron fist right now."

"There's no kidding behind that," said Lemmy grimly, "He takes everyone who opposes him in any way prisoner."

"So he's captured everyone?" asked Luigi.

"I'm not sure," said Lemmy. They were silent for a few moments, listening to the sound of the ship's movements around them.

"Where are you going to go now?" asked Lemmy.

"For right now, I think that I should be helping you find whatever remains of your family since I have no clue what else to do," said Luigi.

"That Tanya character said to look for a lost genius," said Lemmy, "Maybe you should look for someone like that."

"The only genius I know around here is E. Gadd, and he certainly isn't lost," said Luigi. There was another period of silence.

"Well, I'm going to go find Trisha," said Lemmy finally. Without letting Luigi respond, he walked off out of sight. Luigi was left alone for a while in the room formed by the planetoid's core. Danny had explained that it would always be right side up because it was on a gyroscope. His mind got off to its common wondering of where Danny may have inherited his mechanical abilities.

"Perhaps Daisy has a hidden skill I don't know about," he chuckled to himself, "Or maybe it's me that's got something deep inside." He saddened at the thought of his wife and wondered how she was holding up in Bowser's prison when Herman walked into the room and up to him.

"What might you be thinking about?" he asked.

"Not much," Luigi grumbled, not making eye contact. Then he looked up.

"Why did you really stay?" asked Luigi. Herman's expression saddened.

"I am willing to accept my fate," he said, "I cannot deny a prophecy." Luigi immediately understood what Herman was thinking.

"Tanya addressed E. Gadd," said Luigi quickly, "You have nothing to do with it."

"Luigi, I am older than you think I am," said Herman, "I know for a fact that I am going to die in some way. And I will not let the professor take my demise from me."

"How can you accept this?" asked Luigi.

"It's just my time," said Herman softly, "When my time is up…" He shrugged.

"Perhaps you will understand when you come to the age that I have reached," he said, "Don't worry about me." Luigi nodded in understanding. Before their dreary conversation could continue, Danny rushed into the room.

"Guys, get out here now!" he yelled, "We found someone!"

* * *

When Luigi exited the ship he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Everyone who was currently on the ship was gathered around a breathing creature. Lemmy knelt over him while Trisha watched from behind him. Clarisse was fast asleep in her arms. Trisha looked mortified. E. Gadd was busy applying first aid to the person hastily. What Luigi was seeing was Ludwig Von Koopa.

He walked up to the group quickly.

"What in the world?" he said as he got a closer look at Ludwig's unconscious body.

"Stand back," said Lemmy, "He's hurt badly." Luigi took a step back just because of the seriousness in Lemmy's voice. E. Gadd finished wrapping a bandage around the Koopa's arm and then moved to his head. When he had finished bandaging Ludwig, he stood up and announced, "He's alright now!"

Ludwig looked quite a lot bigger than when Luigi had last seen him so long ago. He now truly looked as though he was an adult. There were no weapons on him and he had splinters all over his hands that E. Gadd had taken out. He must have been holding tightly onto a piece of wood. His breathing was shallow still as Lemmy knelt over him.

"We need to get him real medical help," said Lemmy urgently, "What's the nearest galaxy?"

"Battlerock, but…" Danny was cut off by Lemmy.

"Let's go!" he said.

"But Battlerock is hostile and the last time I checked, there were no living creatures living in it at all," said Danny in response.

"I don't care!" said Lemmy, "We need to do something. We can't just keep him cooped up on this airship. He seems sick!"

"That's because he is," said E. Gadd, "He's running a high fever." He turned to Danny.

"We have to rest somewhere for as long as he is with us," he said. Danny nodded reluctantly and then ran back to the hole leading to the center of the starship.

"How did he end up on the ship?" asked Luigi. Lemmy gestured to a shell that had to have been shot out of a cannon nearby lodged into ground of the planetoid. The planetoid lurched and began moving towards a large rock floating in space nearby. As the got closer, Luigi recognized the galaxy and shuddered at the sight of it. Many years ago, his brother had to save him from a security trap that he'd gotten caught in. With his strength now, he could have busted out himself. It made him think about how much stronger he had become, even as his age had increased.

Danny had anticipated firing of the cannons on Battlerock's perimeter and brought three concealed laser cannons of his own from the surface of the ship after ordering everyone inside. Luigi stayed out however as his son was unable to convince him to not try to stop the firing of the cannons entirely. So there he was; zapping cannon shells from the surface of the ship so that as they got closer they weren't hit. He noticed that the shells coming from the Battlerock cannons were unlike the one that had knocked Ludwig to the surface of the ship. Luigi wondered who could have shot him down out of space and how he had somehow managed to land on their planetoid spaceship.

He also noticed that the cannons seemed to be trained on the ship.

"That's funny," he said to himself, "If my old memory serves correct they fired in straight lines the last time I was here." Perhaps Bowser had taken over and used magic to make the advancement. The laser cannons began firing as soon as the proper distance was reached. Luigi had drawn his staff by now and was able to zap the cannons out of commission from a distance with it. However, they seemed to start right back up again even after he had zapped them.

"This is as close as were going to get!" Danny yelled through Luigi's bracelet, "See if you can get inside somehow!"

"Alright," said Luigi. He put his staff back in its sheath, trusting Danny's dodging judgment. Then, just as he was charging his powers, an enormous metal arm suddenly ripped out of the side of the enormous rock, and then another one out of the other side. Luigi watched in shock, losing his focus as he saw two glowing green eyes appear in a large hole near the top of the rock face. They trained themselves directly on the ship.

"Oh… my… gosh…" Luigi said in total shock. It appeared that somebody else had somehow managed to turn a planet into a robot, which swung one of its arms down so as to smash the starship Luigi stood on. The ship lurched out of the way and the arm missed.

"What on earth is that?" Danny yelled through the bracelet.

"Danny, I think you were wrong when you said there were no living creatures here," said Luigi shaking his head, "I don't think even Bowser could come up with something like this. I think we've met your match."

* * *

**A/N: Lots of stuff happening again. Our heroes are currently fighting an enormous robot that is the main planetoid in the Battlerock Galaxy in order to see if there is someone there to help them heal Ludwig, who has somehow been shot down onto the heroes' ship. Where did Ludwig come from? Will the heroes survive this menace in Battlerock? And who exactly made this enormous robo-planetoid?**

**Luigi references the mission in Battlerock in Super Mario Galaxy where you have to save him in order to get a special Power Star in this chapter. BTW Pearl, what good is a story where the author just tells you everything right on the spot? I promise I will get to Peach and the Toad Brigade eventually, but not yet. Patience. And another BTW, I'm pretty sure Danny is with Luigi right now and Peter is with Bowser. Just saying.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	57. Three Brothers United Again

Chapter 57: Three Brothers United Again

The enormous robot continued to try to destroy the starship the heroes were upon. Every time it swung its arms, it seemed to get closer and closer to hitting. Luigi fired powerful electricity blasts at it but none of them did much good. It seemed as though the robot would destroy them right there. It did not happen as so though, because Danny apparently had managed to pull their starship underneath the robot. Luigi found that there was a large metal hatch on the underside of the rock.

"Danny, come out and see this!" Luigi exclaimed into his bracelet. A few seconds later, Danny rushed out of the ship and looked up to see what his father was looking at.

"What is it?" asked Danny.

"I don't know," said Luigi, "But I think it might be our way in." He spoke to soon. Two small laser cannons popped out next to the hatch and fired at them. Danny quickly drew his staff and disposed of them with lasers of his own. Then one of the arms tried to come down and smash them, but it didn't get further than the last ten meters and retreated back. Luigi tried to electrocute the hatch but it didn't budge.

"Someone's smart," said Luigi, "Electricity proof."

"It must run on some nuclear substance," said Danny, nodding in agreement, "I believe you're right; whoever created this place is as good with mechanics as I am." Lemmy suddenly rushed out of the ship.

"Guys, Ludwig's coming to!" he said excitedly. A swing of the robot's other arm that missed the other side of the ship by about the same distance sent the three of them running back into the ship.

As soon as they got back inside, E. Gadd called Danny over to help him something while Luigi approached the bed where Ludwig was stirring. Herman waved him back and he stopped. Ludwig's eyes were opened wide and he was staring straight up now.

"He's still in shock and running a fever," said Herman, "Someone pummeled him hard."

"He will be alright correct?" asked Lemmy, worry dancing in his eyes.

"If we can get inside without being killed, I believe so," said Herman.

"Aha!" E. Gadd cried, "We've done it!" Herman and Luigi turned from Ludwig and looked over at Danny and E. Gadd. On one of the many monitors was a message that said, "Communication granted."

"What does that mean?" asked Luigi.

"It means we've hooked up with whoever is inside of this rock," E. Gadd explained, "All we have to do is press a few buttons…" It turned out they didn't have to because suddenly, all of the monitors changed to show a familiar face; or rather, a very familiar face, for the person who showed up on the monitor was a Koopa with green hair and goggles that were up on his forehead. It was Iggy Koopa.

"Well, it appears you people have managed to hack into my communication system," Iggy said with amusement, "Now who might you…" He stopped mid-sentence, seeing that Lemmy was now staring at him wide-eyed.

"Lemmy, is that you?" Iggy asked in surprise, "And is that Ludwig back there?"

"Iggy…" Lemmy said. He started to fall towards the floor but Trisha caught him (Clarisse was in Herman's arms at the moment).

"Iggy, what on earth are you doing here?" asked Luigi.

"So you've returned I see," said Iggy, "If this were ten years before, I would have completely annihilated you, but first off, you're carting two of my brothers, and second I have no ties to the dark side anymore. Therefore I welcome you. We'll parley inside." The monitors went blank and Danny looked across the room.

"As soon as Lemmy gets up, we're all going in," he said sincerely. Nobody argued.

* * *

The large group of travelers found themselves in a maze of gravity tunnels that led through the highly advanced base. Lemmy and Herman helped Ludwig along, who still had no will to speak and seemed slightly unconscious as well, though he was able to acknowledge the presence of those around him as his eyes rolled around focusing on different people. Trisha once again held Clarisse in her arms, where the baby seemed content and asleep. It reminded Luigi of when Danny was a newborn and he couldn't help but look sadly and chuckle upon the age that Danny had reached. It made him feel older.

Soon they found themselves in a larger room where none other than Shelly was waiting for them, along with two young female Koopas who looked exactly alike. They both had blondish hair that was tied into a ponytail with a green band for each of them, just like Shelly. Their shells were green like Iggy's. The only thing that distinguished them was their eye color, the one on the left with blue eyes, and the one on the right with brown. As the travelers walked in silently, Iggy walked in from the other side and up next to Shelly.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," Shelly said joyfully to start the conversation. Nobody responded.

"Mommy, who are these people?" asked one of the girls.

"They are people Katie," said Shelly softly, "Let your father speak." As it happened, nobody spoke for another few minutes. It was Clarisse's crying that started the conversation.

"So I assume that you have come here for a purpose," said Iggy, raising his voice over Clarisse's crying. He was clearly addressing Lemmy, but his focus was on Ludwig next to him.

"Yes," said Lemmy, trying to not cry himself at seeing his brother again, "Ludwig is badly injured. We needed someone's help, so we came here. It was a stroke of luck."

"Indeed," said Iggy. Seeing as how nobody else seemed to want to pitch into the conversation, Iggy went on ahead.

"Well, since we all haven't seen each other in a while, and long ago we were quite some enemies, I say we formally introduce ourselves," he said. Nobody complained at this and everybody got to know everybody. Iggy's other daughter's name was Katrina and Iggy's family learned Clarisse and Trisha's names. Ludwig seemed to be able to think a little straighter as Herman supported him and nobody seemed to notice that a tear was running down his cheek as the conversations were going on.

It took a while before they all came to silence again. Much history was being spilled. Luigi talked to Iggy for quite some time about their stories since the ten years had passed. Iggy and Shelly had fled Bowser's side before Luigi had gotten sucked into the inter-dimensional rift, and they had gone as far as they could go away from Bowser's home base. They ended up in Battlerock a year later and settled down. Katrina and Katie were born three years later. He said it was likely coincidental that they would end up in such a technologically advanced galaxy that he could mess around with.

When Lemmy and Iggy spoke, Lemmy broke down crying in his elder brother's arms. Iggy's daughters were thrilled to meet their little cousin, not knowing they had one of course, and both of them got the opportunity to hold her. In this time, Shelly and Trisha were able to talk and share their own life stories. They both found their histories quite interesting. Danny didn't speak much in this time, and mostly whispered to E. Gadd about stuff that probably only they could think of. It seemed to Luigi that E. Gadd was Danny's closest friend, despite their large age difference.

Eventually, everyone calmed down and Iggy offered to take Ludwig from Herman, and he beckoned for Lemmy to follow him and help him take Ludwig down a corridor. They did so and left the others in the large room. The Koopas strayed towards one corner as the mothers watched their children mess around on the floor. The two young girls were fawning over Clarisse still, who was crawling around like a worm. As they separated themselves, Luigi was able to converse with Danny, while he saw Herman take E. Gadd aside to speak. He hoped dearly that he wasn't going to mention the prophecy.

"Dad, I don't know if we should trust these Koopas," said Danny, "After all, they were all our enemies…"

"You said were," said Luigi cutting him off, "Does that mean you don't accept them as enemies anymore?"

"Well, no but…" Danny was again cut off.

"Danny, you've been scarred too much by the events of the past many years," said Luigi, "This is partially my fault. If I had let you know about the terror of the open world in this time, perhaps you wouldn't have been so hurt." Danny had no response. Luigi put a hand on his shoulder.

"Scars can heal my son," he said, "You just have to let them. Do you remember long ago when your cousin said that getting angry was wrong?"

"My cousin betrayed me," said Danny bitterly.

"I don't believe that he has left our side," said Luigi, "As a matter of fact, it was him who sent us to Dusty Dunes. Before we left Deep Dark, he whispered to me that we should head there."

"I don't want you to sugarcoat it in anyway," said Danny, turning away. Luigi looked at him sadly.

"Danny, listen to me," said Luigi, "I am not going to lie to you, he really did say that. And I feel that he is doing the best he can to help us."

"By continuing to serve Bowser?" asked Danny.

"You're missing the point," said Luigi, "You've let too much of your anger out. If anything you're just as bad as Bowser himself." His last sentence was firm and again, Danny had no response. His eyes locked onto his father's.

"I need healing don't I," said Danny softly.

"You do," said Luigi. Danny embraced his father and began crying. Luigi just patted his son on the back and returned the hug.

"You, my boy, have truly been through too much," said Luigi. He saw over Danny's shoulder that E. Gadd and Herman were discussing serious matters, as they seemed to be in a harsh debate over a subject. Luigi's focus was taken off of them as Danny pulled away from him.

"Thanks for the advice dad," he said.

"That's what I'm here for," said Luigi. Their timing was perfect. The three Koopas who had left just fifteen minutes before strolled in as though they had been on a morning walk. Ludwig seemed as though nothing had happened to him. It wasn't until just then that Luigi noticed such a similarity between the three of them, even though they weren't related by blood. They all showed a large sign of dominance, as though each of them could take a kingdom right at that instant and rule it with an iron fist.

"Well, now that I am conscious again, I suppose I should explain what happened to all of you," said Ludwig after he had gotten the group's attention, "I was piloting the airship that I stole when I fled the side of evil when suddenly a fleet came upon me. They shattered my airship and though I managed to get onto one of theirs, I was still shot off. And that is how I ended up here."

"That was the biggest lie I've ever heard you speak," said Iggy in annoyance, "You left out ten years and changed your story."

"That was for them to figure out," Ludwig shot back. Danny raised an eyebrow at Luigi but Luigi shook his head. If Ludwig was lying, now was not the time to be attacking, especially with his brothers and family here. And Luigi had a sneaking suspicion that Ludwig wasn't lying.

"I apologize," said Ludwig, "I must know that you are truly on my side and not going to kill me on the spot."

"We haven't killed anybody else yet have we?" asked Luigi. Ludwig nodded approvingly.

"Very well then," said Ludwig, "I will be as concise as possible. I'm pretty sure I was of the last of my family to flee. My reasons were different; I wished to keep away from Bowser's insanity so I would not have to die as the prophecy said five of us would. I stole an airship as I said and I travelled far and wide throughout the universe, seeking refuge in galaxies that were not hostile, and becoming an outlaw with a bounty placed on my head by Bowser. Many of these galaxies had started with colonies, even those which seemed outlandish to live in." He paused to look among his fellow Koopas.

"I knew of both of my brothers' presences in the galaxies in which they lived, but I chose not to interfere with their lives, as I had found this," said Ludwig. He pulled a large dusty book from inside his shell and blew it off. It was a book of prophecy.

"That isn't…" Luigi said in disbelief.

"It is," said Ludwig, "This is the very same book that the prophecy girl, Tanya I believe, speaks of. And I have read it through and through."

* * *

**A/N: Whoa, lots of stuff going on here. First off, it is none other than Iggy, now a father of twin daughters whose mother is Shelly, who has modified Battlerock as it is (does the match to Danny idea make sense now?). Second, the four Koopas who escaped Bowser have been reunited (Yay! :D). Finally, Ludwig seems to have found the prophecy book Tanya reads from. But where did he get it? How did he really end up on the heroes' ship? And what will the heroes' next destination be?**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	58. A Fear Greatly Rekindled

Chapter 58: A Fear Greatly Rekindled

There was silence for quite a while as Ludwig was paused in a somewhat dramatic pose as he held the book before the others in the large room. Then he withdrew it to the position under his arm.

"Where did you get that?" asked Luigi, breaking the silence.

"It is the very reason I'm here," said Ludwig, "I overheard a rumor in one of the galaxies that the dark side was looking for this book so as to see what would happen in the future. I feel that this was not Bowser but Kamek's doing. I hunted it down, but after I found it, I was chased by our foes across the universe on the airship that I had stolen. They got to me and blasted me off the ship, but I managed to hold on to the book. Miraculously, I ended up on your ship. Otherwise… who would have known what would have happened."

Luigi nodded, understanding the turn of events. He skimmed his eyes across Lemmy and Iggy, who were nodding in approval, which probably meant Ludwig wasn't lying.

"So where do we go from here?" asked Luigi, somehow piecing together in his mind that Ludwig would be coming with them.

"We've talked this over," said Lemmy, stepping forward, "My family will be staying here with Iggy until we can find the time to get ourselves back over to Cosmic Cove. Ludwig is going to head out with you. Why, I have no idea." Ludwig nodded.

"You'll probably need my help," he said. Luigi looked over at Herman and E. Gadd, then to Danny. All of them nodded, Danny somewhat reluctantly, and it was unanimous that they would be taking Ludwig along.

"Very well," said Luigi, "We'll leave as soon as everyone is ready."

"Actually, I think I'd like to take your kid aside," said Iggy, "That starship is quite the invention." Luigi nodded towards Danny, giving his approval to go along with Iggy. Danny seemed to get the message and slowly walked up to him. They disappeared down a different corridor a few minutes later. Luigi turned to his fellow passengers on the starship.

"Where to?" he asked. Ludwig opened up the book.

"According to this, we need to pick up another passenger on the ship," said Ludwig, "Something about the Boo Moon Galaxy." He looked up.

"That galaxy is about as hostile as you can get," said Ludwig.

"We survived Dusty Dunes," said Luigi, "I think we'll be able to take it down. Why is it so hostile?"

"Oh you'll see," said Ludwig, shutting the book and turning to talk to Lemmy for the rest of the time they had before the heroes left.

"I think I'll go down and make sure the ship is alright," said E. Gadd, shuffling out of the room back the way they had come. Herman didn't say a word and followed him, leaving Luigi to stand on his own for a few minutes. He took one last long look at the insides of Battlerock, amazed at what Iggy had done with it, and followed the corridor that E. Gadd and Herman had taken.

* * *

Danny and Ludwig showed up not five minutes after Luigi entered the ship.

"So, Boo Moon?" said Ludwig nonchalantly as he walked in. Everyone nodded and E. Gadd began to set the controls up. Danny walked right up to the control panel and began rewiring a few things, particularly in the weaponry buttons, which Luigi hadn't seen him use. Then he stepped back as the ship began moving again.

Luigi inadvertently spoke with Herman again as the smooth ride was in process. Danny was still working with the controls and E. Gadd was taking a nap. Luigi just sat by himself at the long table in the center of the room. Ludwig was playing solitaire at the other end while reading the prophecy book which was opened beside his game. Herman walked over and sat down next to him.

"So how are you doing?" asked Herman.

"Fine," said Luigi. He paused for a few moments.

"No, scratch that," said Luigi, "I'm worried."

"For what reason?" asked Herman.

"My wife and brother are being held captive," he started, "My nephew is on the dark side. You're going to die sometime."

"I know all of that," said Herman calmly, "But the prophecy states that you will prevail over all and save this universe."

"It's hard not to be impatient," said Luigi, "I'd waited so long to be in the spotlight because my brother was always there. Once I got that chance… well, I didn't realize how hard it was. Now it feels like my time is taking too long."

"Patience is the key," said Herman, "Let time flow, no matter how it does. You'll get there eventually." He paused as silence ensued.

"You know, a long time ago, I remember asking where you had to go when you left my place," said Herman, "You told me I might find out. Perhaps I won't know where exactly you must go, but I feel your journey will end right back where you started. You'll defeat the evil king, save the universe and return home to forget all of this ever happened." Luigi took his words into thought. Then he smiled.

"Thanks for the confidence boost," said Luigi.

"No problem at all," said Herman. Just as he was about to get up, the ship lurched to a halt. The passengers looked up.

"This is as far as we go," Danny announced, "There are airships everywhere out there." They looked at the monitors and sure enough, the galaxy they were facing was swarmed with airships. Luigi shuddered.

"_Uh-oh_," he thought to himself. If he was shuddering, that meant there were ghosts nearby. He had almost forgotten; Boo Moon was a ghost galaxy as well. But he was unable to argue, as Danny was already helping him out of his seat and they, along with Ludwig, exited the room towards the outside of the ship.

* * *

Luigi understood why Iggy had pulled Danny aside back in Battlerock now. The ship they were on had some massive weaponry that it hadn't used ever; and by that, it meant massive. Lasers were piercing through ships on the galaxy, so many at a time that the crescent moon that had been invisible before became visible due to the destruction of the airships. The ship began to move closer. Soon there were less airships so that they could get in without being hit.

Luigi's shuddering got worse as they moved along into the galaxy. There were random creepy planetoids everywhere around the galaxy, patrolled by airships that were quickly disposed of.

"So where do we go now?" asked Luigi, still shaking in anticipation.

"Hmmm… the book mentioned something about a dark world…" said Ludwig, pondering things in his head.

"Okay, I think I know what you're talking about," said Danny, "Let's get down on a planetoid somewhere and start searching. We'll stick together since Dad can probably find it pretty quickly."

"I can?" asked Luigi, shaking madly now.

"Yep," said Danny, "You're a practical ghost sensor." So it was. They flew down to the book shaped planetoid they had passed a few minutes earlier. Then they disembarked and began searching for any hints as to how to get to the dark world. Luigi's shaking gradually got worse as they moved from planet to planet. Then they arrived at a planet that seemed like a funhouse.

"What is this place?" asked Danny as they walked around inside of it.

"It appears as though it is a rounded house of some sort," said Ludwig, as though the fact were obvious, "It is nothing like a house though."

"N-n-no k-k-kidding," Luigi stuttered through his shaking teeth. He hadn't been this scared in his life. And there he was ten years before thinking he had gotten over it at some points in time.

Then out of nowhere, a Boo popped out of the wall.

"Boo!" it yelled. Luigi screamed and tripped trying to run for his life. Danny and Ludwig looked startled, but not scared. Danny was able to grab his father by the hood of his cloak before he ran.

"What was that for?" asked Danny.

"Awww, you were supposed to run for your life," said the Boo, "Like that guy." He gestured to Luigi and laughed.

"He should have seen the look on his face," the Boo continued.

"Yeah, he should have," said Danny rolling his eyes. It embarrassed him that his own father was afraid of such a thing.

"Do you happen to know where the dark world is?" asked Ludwig out of the blue.

"Why of course!" said the Boo. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Why would you need to know that _Koopa_?" He said the word with distaste.

"We're looking for something that was mentioned in a prophecy," said Danny, still holding onto his father's cloak. Luigi was back against the wall now, staring terrified at the Boo who was speaking.

"A prophecy?" the Boo questioned. Danny looked at his father annoyed and then said, "Yeah, the one where my dad is the Mage of Thunder."

"Oh that one!" said the Boo. Then he narrowed his eyes again saying, "This guy is the Mage of Thunder?"

"Normally I wouldn't say this, but unfortunately, yes," said Danny. Luigi seemed too scared to respond. Ludwig then knocked him upside the head.

"Get a grip plumber!" he yelled, "It's just a ghost! Get over it!" Luigi stopped shaking.

"How can you prove that this guy is the mage?" asked the Boo. Luigi slowly but surely drew the staff from his back, eyes shut so that he wouldn't have to look at the Boo. The Boo stared in amazement.

"So that's what happened to our kin in Flash Black!" he cried, "Hey boys, we found the mage!" A dozen more Boos burst from the walls and surrounded them. Luigi stifled a shriek of terror, mainly because Danny slapped a hand over his mouth.

"We'll take you to the dark world, but no peekies!" the Boo who had been speaking exclaimed. Three Boos quickly blindfolded all three of them and they were off.

* * *

When Luigi was able to see again, he found himself sitting down and tied up on the ground of the funhouse. However, the moon was gone and in its place a dark spot, a new moon. There were Boos circling around them. Luigi's heart raced.

"They're only ghosts," he told himself, "They're only ghosts…" He felt ready to cry until somebody called, "Disperse!" The Boos left through the walls suddenly and a dark, human-shaped figure came walking up to them. In such darkness Luigi could not see who it was.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked, fearing the revelation of another ghost.

"Dad, don't scream again, please," said Danny from Luigi's backside.

"Yeah, because we're right here, and we don't want to hear it," said Ludwig, "No pun intended."

"Well, well, well," said the figure, "This is most certainly a surprise. I never expected to see you here of all places." Luigi recognized the voice. It gave him goosebumps. Only one person in existence in the known universe spoke in that creepy tone.

"Show yourself," said Luigi firmly, despite the fact that his insides were churning with fear at who it was. The figure snapped his fingers and some of the darkness lifted, just enough for Luigi to see the black 'M' on his hat.

"Dark Mario," he said concisely, shocked to the core.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so Lemmy is staying with his brother in Battlerock and the heroes are now in the Boo Moon Galaxy, which should have sounded very familiar to those of you who have been reading for a while. Yeah, that's right; this is where Dark Mario was banished to. What will happen to the heroes now at the whim of Dark Mario? And is Mario's twin friend or foe?**

**Boo Moon was in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and held one of the hardest hidden stars ever (for me at least).**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo. **


	59. Neither Friend nor Foe

Chapter 59: Neither Friend nor Foe

The two men stared at each other coldly for a few minutes. Luigi had forgotten his fear with his shock at seeing his brother's clone. Dark Mario seemed to have aged at least twice as much as the time that had gone by. His clothing was in rags, and his eyes were bloodshot and droopy.

"What are you doing here?" Luigi blurted out, "And what the heck happened to you?"

"I was banished here by _his_ father," said Dark Mario, pointing at Ludwig with distaste, "And I place heavy blame on you." Luigi found that to be understandable, but he couldn't seem to figure out why Bowser had banished Dark Mario. Ludwig seemed to read his mind.

"It is true that my 'father' banished you here," said Ludwig, "And it is also true that Luigi's many victories over you played a part in that. However, Bowser had gone insane by the time he banished you and the others to different galaxies."

"The others?" asked Luigi, raising an eyebrow.

"Never mind that," said Ludwig, "Anyways, my point is…" He didn't get to finish because Dark Mario suddenly fell to the ground clutching his stomach and then fell over flat on his face.

"It hurts too much…" he said weakly. The three of them watched in stunned silence as Dark Mario seemed to fight something out of his system. He was able to get up on his knees before slowly and painfully standing on his feet again. A Boo popped out of the wall.

"Mr. Dark Mario," it said, "Are you alright?"

"I… I'm fine," he said, still clutching his stomach in pain. He stared right into Luigi's eyes as the Boo vanished back into the wall.

"This is what I get for being a leftover; a copy," said Dark Mario, "I am half of your brother's soul, therefore, what he feels, I take a brunt of every once in a while. This has sowed hatred in me towards the side of evil, neutralizing my hatred to the side of good. I support no one but myself."

"You can't die can you," said Ludwig.

"No, not until my clone dies," said Dark Mario, "And Bowser is keeping him alive, though very much in pain. And as such, I feel the pain as well."

"You are trapped here in a prison of pain," said Ludwig.

"Why do you remark like so?" asked Dark Mario, seeming annoyed at Ludwig speaking to him.

"I am just making sure that I get my details straight," said Ludwig. Dark Mario narrowed his eyes at the Koopa.

"And how do I know that you aren't going to destroy this place?" asked Dark Mario, "I think you should know, I trust none of you, and I can have you killed immediately if I would like."

"Dark Mario," Danny said, even though he was facing the opposite direction, "If you will hear me… You are connected to my uncle's soul by a strong binding and as such, you feel his pain. I believe the only way you can get rid of that pain is to find him and free him, and also surrender your half of your soul to him again. We can help you find him, and you can take vengeance on Bowser." Dark Mario considered his words for a second and then looked at Luigi again.

"A duel," he said concisely, "Just as we had in Drip Drop ten years ago. If you win, I will come with you. If you lose… you may go, so long as you don't threaten me any longer." Before Luigi could respond, Dark Mario raised his hand and the Boos came out of the walls and cut the ropes that bound the three of them. Luigi got up and dusted himself off, jumping as far from the Boos as possible.

Dark Mario gestured for him to follow through the inverted funhouse. Luigi looked back as he started forward and saw that the Boos were suppressing Danny and Ludwig from following. He nodded at them, assuring that he would be back and continued on his way.

* * *

Dark Mario led him to the other side of the planetoid, in the slightly expansive living room. There he pulled out of the small fireplace five different power-ups, three of which Luigi had not used on his quest so far. The Fire and Ice Flowers were possibilities, as well as two that Luigi recognized, the Boo Mushroom and the Spring Mushroom. Then there was the final power-up, which was a leaf. Dark Mario nodded, signifying that he had the first pick.

All of the power-ups could have ensured an easy victory for Luigi, except for maybe the Spring Mushroom. The Boo Mushroom creeped him out, despite having used it long before. The fire and ice flowers would have been a good choice, but the leaf intrigued him. He vaguely remembered from long before using a leaf as a power-up, but couldn't remember what exactly it did.

"I take the leaf," he said. Dark Mario blew the leaf at him and Luigi grabbed it out of the air, seeing that Dark Mario had taken the Fire Flower.

"Three… two… one…" Dark Mario counted down slowly before suddenly squeezing the stem of the flower in his hand. His overalls changed to a maroon color and like in his ice flower form, his cap and shirt were black. Luigi also squeezed the leaf in his fingers, and suddenly donned a fox like suit. He now remembered what it was. Technically, it was a Tanooki Leaf, but for him, it got him into a fox suit with similar properties.

Dark Mario charged at him with surprising speed for someone who seemed to be aging terribly. Luigi dodged his charge and the fireball that had been thrown at him. Then he spun around, smacking Dark Mario to the ground with his tail. Dark Mario was unfazed and fired a few more fireballs at him. Luigi dodged the first few and then began hitting them back.

Then Luigi rolled under a set to get closer to Dark Mario, only to find that his opponent had jumped over him and begun firing from the other side. He realized after repeating this a few more times that it wasn't going to be working anytime soon. Dark Mario was quicker than he could have imagined, but he seemed pained as they fought. Luigi figured that that was either age catching up to him or his strange soul connection with Mario.

Luigi decided to try holding him in place with a stun loop, which he quickly realized was futile. It passed right through Dark Mario, much to his surprise. As he began to dodge fireballs again, he went back through the properties of a stun loop. They all stated that it should have worked on Dark Mario until he got to the last one, just as he was knocking back another fireball. None had made impact with their target.

"Stun loops only work on beings with full souls!" he said to himself. That being said, he zapped Dark Mario with a bolt of electricity and then charged at him. Dark Mario burned a hole in the floor in front of him and Luigi lost his balance, tripping and falling almost right on top of his opponent. Dark Mario smacked him with a fireball and his suit vanished, powering him down to his normal form. Dark Mario smirked and fired a few more fireballs at him. Luigi rolled in order to dodge and jumped back on his feet, charging as much electrical power as he could as he did.

Dark Mario, much to his surprise, didn't do anything. He just stood there, accepting that fact that he was defeated.

"What are you doing?" Luigi asked over the crackling electricity between his hands.

"I can't defeat you," said Dark Mario, "I hate to admit it, but I can't. Just kill me. I don't care. I want this miserable life of mine to be over." Luigi understood what Dark Mario was trying to get him to do and disabled the electricity he was charging.

"I'm not killing you," said Luigi, "Such an action could knock my brother dead as well."

"Well done," said Dark Mario, suddenly pulling a fireball from behind his back and throwing it at Luigi. Luigi, guard let down, was barely able to dodge it and it skimmed his arm.

"Hey!" Luigi yelled.

"Your heart is too soft," said Dark Mario, walking towards Luigi and continuously firing fireballs as Luigi backed up, "You realize this don't you? I am going to fight you until one of us dies, which means either you die, or we die." Luigi caught the next fireball as he was backed into the corner and looked at it, seeing his brother's suffering within the flames. Dark Mario stopped.

"So who will it be?" asked Dark Mario, "Will you sacrifice yourself for your brother, or will you allow him to die and save this universe?" There was a long moment of silence before Luigi extinguished the fireball and dropped his head to the floor.

"Kill me," he said in defeat. Dark Mario's evil smile crept across his face as he realized how close he was to achieving his revenge. Once Luigi was dead, he would take his place and go after Bowser himself. Then his thirst for vengeance would be quenched. He readied the most massive fireball he could and then fired it at Luigi.

* * *

Danny heard an explosion from another section of the planetoid and looked over at Ludwig, who was conversing with the Boos nonchalantly as though they had known each other for their whole lives. Seeing as how the Boos were distracted, Danny slipped away into the darkness and worked his way through the halls of the planetoid towards where he heard the explosion. He flung open a door and saw nothing but smoke rushing out. He coughed through it and when it cleared, he saw his father, standing firm, with an electrical shield out in front of him.

Whatever had exploded had knocked Dark Mario to the ground in the center of the room. Danny slowly walked in in awe of what might have just happened. Luigi withdrew the electrical shield and walked up to Dark Mario, meeting Danny in the center of the room.

"Is he…" Danny started as his father bent down on his knees and checked Dark Mario's pulse.

"His life is hanging by a thread," said Luigi. He forced a small jolt of electricity into Dark Mario's chest, and then repeated the action a few more times. Dark Mario's eyes fluttered open.

"What… happened?" he asked in weakness.

"You lost," said Luigi, "You must keep your end of the deal and come with us."

"So it is so," said Dark Mario, shutting his eyes again, "I will come with you. But we are not friends; that I can assure you. I warn you Luigi, if I get the chance, I will attempt to kill you."

"It is worth the risk I think," said Luigi solemnly helping Dark Mario up. He nodded at Danny and Danny helped Luigi heft Dark Mario onto their shoulders. Then they walked out of the room to find the Ludwig and the exit of the dark world.

* * *

Within the hour, the heroes were ready to depart from Boo Moon, now with Dark Mario in tow. Nobody was completely distrustful of him, despite him repeating to Luigi over and over again that if he got the chance he would kill him.

"Where shall we go now?" asked Luigi to Ludwig, who had returned to the book after they got back on the ship.

"I can't paint a clear picture from this," he said, "The future, the senescent… both shall be lost in the land of fire. That's what comes after what we just did. What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're smart," said Luigi, "Figure it out."

"I believe that I might know where we are headed," said Herman from the corner of the room. Everyone turned to him.

"Set course for Melty Molten," he said, "That is where fate directs us." Nobody disagreed with the old man's logic and E. Gadd set the ship's course. As the ship lurched and began to move away from Boo Moon, Danny approached Luigi.

"Dad, I suppose I should say that Melty Molten is one of the closest galaxies to Bowser's palace in the center of the universe," said Danny, "We could get into real trouble if we go there. And it says things will be lost. What's the point of going somewhere where things are lost?"

"Danny, you can't deny a prophecy," said Luigi, "Especially this one. It's gone too far." Danny stared right into his father's eyes and then simply walked away, not speaking another word. Luigi sighed. Perhaps Danny did not see the impossibility of denying fate, and the necessity of this prophecy being carried out.

"Your son is becoming argumental," said a voice from beside him. Luigi turned and saw Tanya standing there. Her dress was teal, and her bow green.

"I suppose so," he said.

"Worry not about him," said Tanya, "Worry not about the future, for even if it is lost, it still lives on. Your son will understand the truth of the prophecies inscribed within the books of this universe in time, but for now, let him worry himself out. He will discover that he cannot change anything and let it all happen as it is meant to someday."

"Is that prophesied or predicted?" asked Luigi.

"Most definitely predicted," said Tanya, twirling and vanishing. Luigi stood in silence for a few more seconds, glanced over at Dark Mario, who was sitting in a chair at the long table staring straight ahead, and then walked over to the exit in order to go out and get some fresh air.

* * *

**A/N: Luigi has defeated Dark Mario (using the Tanooki/Fox Suit, thank you for the idea Pearl0001) and now Dark Mario has joined him on the journey to crush Bowser. However, he is still grudging towards Luigi and it seems quite obvious that he is on no one's side right now. Will Dark Mario hold true to his words? What awaits the heroes and Dark Mario in Melty Molten? And what does this newest line of the prophecy mean? **

**Dark Mario and Mario's soul connection is a reflection of Dark Pit and Pit's connection in Kid Icarus Uprising. If you listened in Chapter 21 of Kid Icarus Uprising (assuming you played it) you would have heard Dark Pit say that while Pit was asleep in a _ (I'm not going to say so I don't spoil anything), he was unconscious as well. **

**60 Chapters... Wow... I can't believe how far this has come.**

**I do not own Mario (or Kid Icarus). All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo. **


	60. Lost

Chapter 60: Lost

Freezeflame was as serene as ever. Nothing disturbed its peace as it hung silently in the sky… well, the occasional snowball fight by its younger residents could have been called a disturbance, but overall, it was quite quiet. A civilization had formed over the previous ten years and now a village had been built up and down the mountainside, with a small cottage at the top where Peach, former princess of the Mushroom Kingdom stayed in wait for a hero that would save the galaxy so that she could go home to the Mushroom Planet.

Her hair was graying with age as she wearily watched over the people of what had come to be known as the Mushroom Colony in reminiscence of the old Mushroom Kingdom that Bowser now ruled over. She had help from the old toad named Francis, but he was becoming sickly and likely didn't have much more time in the world. She kept wondering what would happen if she passed as well. Would the Toads be able to handle themselves? They did rely on her quite a lot.

The things she was most worried about however were her husband, Mario, who was still in Bowser's custody after twenty years and her own son, Peter, who had supposedly turned to the dark side, a fact Peach refused to believe. She couldn't imagine her son being a servant of Bowser. A knock rapped on her door.

"Come in!" she called from the chair she sat in. Toadbert popped his head in the door a serious look on his face.

"Princess, someone has requested to speak with you," said Toadbert, "Under the flag of peace." Peach raised an eyebrow at this, trying to show as little physical interest as possible, though on the inside, her heart began to race.

"Allow them inside," said Peach. Toadbert opened the door wider, revealing a young man with blonde hair standing in between two Sledge Bros, one of which held a green flag in his hand. Peach didn't break her composure as she stared at them. They casually walked inside and Peach nodded at Toadbert to leave, and Toadbert hesitated before shutting the door and leaving Peach in the room alone with the enemy.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"Mother, that Toad has told you why I am here," said Peter, "I have come to speak under a flag of peace." He gestured to the flag and Peach stared at him coldly.

"What are the words you must speak to me?" she asked, her glare fixated straight into his eyes.

"We have come to offer you a compromise," said Peter, "You surrender your people and you may have your husband back."

"Never," said Peach immediately, "Why would you even say such a thing?" Nobody spoke for a few more minutes.

"Go," Peter said finally, breaking the silence. He pointed the Sledge Bros. out the door and they did as they were commanded. The door shut and Peter turned back to his mother.

"I knew you wouldn't agree," said Peter, "Even for my father."

"Is this war some sort of a game to you?" Peach asked fiercely, "Peter, do you realize what you are doing?"

"Yes, I believe I am fully conscious, mother, as to what my actions are," said Peter, "You do well to not accept father back."

"Answer me my son," she said coldly, "Why are you doing what you are?" Peter seemed stung by her words and watched as tears began to form in her eyes. He began to circle around her.

"Mother, I feel that you know the truth already," said Peter, "So tell me why my actions are what they are." Peach stood up and hugged him tightly.

"You are so knowledgeable to be doing what you are doing," said Peach, tears flooding from her eyes, "It is a risk that I can't even imagine. Why can you not come here and be safe?"

"Mother, I am an adult now," said Peter patting her on the back, "It is my duty to do what I am doing in order to assist my uncle on his quest to destroy Bowser, for if I were not on the dark side, my father would be dead by now. All of the prisoners would be dead by now. Even Luigi may have been dead by now. Bowser's treatment is horrible, much worse than it was years ago."

"I can't let you go back…" she sobbed.

"You must," said Peter, "For the sake of the kingdom, the people of this colony, and for the universe, I must return to my home base. I promise you mother, my evil actions are most untrue." Peach held him tighter.

"Peter… my son…" she sobbed over and over again. Peter pulled away from her and she looked at him with red splotched eyes.

"Go," she said, "Go." She kissed him on the cheek and he hugged her tightly again before backing out of the door, almost crying himself at his mother's weeping face.

"Just be patient mother," he said, "The day will come where Bowser will be overthrown. Wait until that day and I will be yours again." And with that, he shut the door, ending his audience with his mother.

* * *

All of the heroes stood on the starships exterior as they approached the Melty Molten Galaxy, very clear in the distance due to its bright orange hues. Lava covered almost every inch of the galaxy and Danny confirmed that there were high energy readings from within the volcano at the main planetoid's center.

"So perhaps this trip wasn't in vain," said Danny, "It could be a Grand Star." Luigi only nodded in response to this having gotten bad vibes the second they came within viewing distance.

"We'll need all of us to get up the side of that mountain," said Danny as they came into the galaxy's orbit, "It's going to take a team effort to climb all the way to the top." Luigi looked across their motley crew, a bunch of old guys, a rather large and heavy Koopa, and a sixteen year old kid; needless to say, their chances looked pretty slim. Since they couldn't go directly over the mountain to get a good look inside, they would have to climb, a feat impossible for a single person due to the smooth surface of the side.

And so, the crew of the starship found themselves standing on rocky and burning hot ground, staring at a volcano three feet out over the lava.

"We have to climb that?" asked E. Gadd in amazement.

"Yes E. Gadd, we've said that multiple times," said Danny as he looked up as well. After he had gotten everybody's attention, he began to give instructions.

"Okay, I'll go first," said Danny, "My dad will follow me and Ludwig will go after him, since he's the heaviest. Then we'll need E. Gadd, Dark Mario, and Herman in that order, to bring up the rear." They all nodded and Luigi produced several harnesses and a coil of rope from his cloak. After everyone had equipped themselves, the rope was pulled through all of the harnesses and knotted at the beginning and end.

"Is everyone ready?" Danny called back. Everyone called back their consent for him to jump over to the side of the mountain. Danny did that and grabbed onto a small hold about ten feet above the lava, and then almost immediately began to slip. He found himself hanging with one hand, his feet dangling just about four feet above the lava.

"I'm okay!" he called over to them. Luigi held his breath as Danny hammered a peg into the rock wall, checked its stability, and used it to climb a little further. He hammered another peg in five feet above the last and pulled himself upon it.

"Come on!" he called. Luigi, still amazed at how well his son was doing as a mountain climber, jumped out to the first ledge, grabbed onto it, and pulled himself onto the peg. Ludwig followed after him with some difficulty pulling himself up, but finding that his claws dug easily into the soft rock of the wall. As such he didn't need to use the pegs to climb, but used his claws instead. E. Gadd followed him, easily using the pegs for his support due to his small body.

As E. Gadd was reaching the second peg, Dark Mario was contemplating what he was doing at the moment. As he jumped over to the rock face and began pulling himself up on it, he seemed to realize for the first time that he was technically a prisoner to these heroes. He continued climbing up to the second peg and then to the third, seeing that Herman was beginning to climb after him. Something snapped within his head suddenly.

He tugged the rope without thinking and watched emotionless as those above him faltered a little. They all looked down for a few seconds but didn't give it a second thought as they kept climbing. Danny was three quarters of the way up at the moment. Dark Mario realized what he was doing and kept climbing, trying as hard as possible to not think of trying to kill anybody right there and then. But then he remembered his vow to Luigi.

"If I get the chance, I will attempt to kill you." He mused over this for a few seconds before suddenly, almost instinctively, pulling off his harness and digging his fingers into the rock face. Herman noticed this from below and looked up at him with a shocked face. Dark Mario simply grinned as he pulled out something from within his overalls. It was a pocket knife. He didn't even know it was there, much less what he was doing as he sawed the rope with the knife. Herman could only watch in terror, his mouth agape. No words came out as Dark Mario sawed through the rope, feeling a rumbling as the rope snapped and Herman fell directly into the lava below.

The other four climbers immediately looked down as they felt the extra weight get dropped. Their faces were shocked. Dark Mario's eyes said the words of his vow as he looked up at them, and his hands were shaking so badly, that he dropped the knife in the lava. The rumbling got worse. Then the top of the mountain exploded.

For a few milliseconds, nobody reacted to the eruption. Then Danny pushed his feet off of the mountain, falling down to solid ground below and pulling his allies along with him. He landed on his feet and Dark Mario felt himself pulled of the mountainside by Luigi's hand. They all landed on their feet and made a run for it, ditching the harnesses and leaving them to be swallowed by the lava on the ground. Ludwig managed to trip and the prophecy book fell out of his shell. E. Gadd grabbed him before he could grab it and pulled him over to where Luigi was already using the Grand Star to get them out of there.

* * *

The second they set foot back on the ship, Luigi smacked Dark Mario to the ground.

"What the flipping toadstools were you thinking back there?!" he screamed. Dark Mario simply stood up and looked him in the eye.

"I warned you," said Dark Mario, "I would kill you if I got the chance, be it inside or out. I'm still after you Luigi." He said Luigi's name with bitter distaste and walked into the inner sanctum of the planetoid. Luigi broke down crying in front of both Ludwig and Danny.

"Who do you think should talk to him?" asked Danny. Ludwig didn't even respond and walked into the inner sanctum. Danny crossed his arms and watched his father look back at the lava galaxy.

"Dad, pull yourself together," he said, "You said that you were willing to take the risk." As Luigi looked up at him, Danny spoke what was next on his mind.

"And I told you we shouldn't have gone in there," said Danny, "I warned you. Dark Mario warned you. Ludwig warned you through the stinking prophecy book. I'm telling you, I saw this coming." Danny walked towards the inner sanctum's entrance because Luigi didn't have the words to answer as the starship flew further away from the galaxy where one crew member had been lost to Dark Mario's oath of revenge. And oh how Luigi wished he could strangle the man right there for what he had done. But he couldn't. Like a dead weight, Dark Mario had to come along with them alive.

* * *

**A/N: Ouch. Sad chapter here, I know. I want to know how many of you felt like crying when you read the first scene of this chapter, because I certainly did as I wrote it. So, this chapter is pretty self-explanatory. Peter has visited his mother in Freezeflame and confirmed her beliefs that he isn't really evil. And just as the prophecy prognosticated, the senescent (Herman) and the future (the prophecy book of this story) have been lost in the land of fire. ****I had an urge to allow a curse word to slip out of Luigi's mouth at Dark Mario but I didn't do it. I came up with a better insult! **

**How far will Dark Mario go to hurt Luigi? Are the events ahead bright or dark? And where is the next Grand Star Guardian?**

**I made a reference to my English class in this chapter twice (I know, I'm a nerd XD) by using the words senescent (which means aging) and prognosticate (which believe it or not is a word that means predict) which were vocab words within this first semester (that's not really a reference is it?). And of course, there is Melty Molten, a galaxy from the Garden Dome of Super Mario Galaxy, which I personally found quite interesting. My favorite mission was Fiery Dino Pirahna and still to this day, it remains one of my favorite bosses.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	61. Random Encounters

Chapter 61: Random Encounters

Grim days followed the one that had occurred at Melty Molten as the starship rocketed to nowhere through outer space. Not even Danny knew where they were going, and nobody said much except for the occasional conversation between Ludwig, E. Gadd, and Danny over some trivial subject. Luigi and Dark Mario were shooting murderous glares at each other constantly. There was no doubt in Danny's mind that his father wanted to kill the guy badly for what he had done, but he knew that he couldn't. It hurt Danny as well to see his father in so much pain from the loss of a friend.

Then, a few days into their aimless rocketing through space, Danny spoke up to all five of the current members of the crew.

"Alright you guys, we need a break, and I know just where to take it," Danny announced suddenly. Luigi looked up at him from the corner he had been sitting in most of the time, only getting up to perform vital actions.

"A vacation," he said, "You especially dad. You've been through too much hero business in the last twenty years. You've got to let loose for once."

"I'm not in the mood," Luigi grumbled.

"You will be once we get there," said Danny, "E. Gadd, set a course for Beach Bowl." E. Gadd nodded and rushed over to the control panel, resetting the ship's course so that it was headed to that particular galaxy. Nobody responded to the sudden movement of the ship lurching to the side a bit before rocketing forward, half because they were in the sanctum, which was a gigantic gyroscope, and half because no one was in the mood to react.

"Trust me dad," said Danny, "You'll feel better in no time at all." Though Luigi didn't think so, he would be surprised.

* * *

When they came upon the galaxy almost twenty four hours later, they all went to the outside of the ship to observe their destination.

"I took a vacation here once," said Ludwig, "It was a pretty good time. I met a few friends."

"Before you turned good, or after?" asked Danny.

"After," said Ludwig, "While I was running away from my father." Luigi didn't flinch until he suddenly noticed that a huge upside down pink castle spire was jutting out of the upper half of the bowl that made up most of the galaxy. It seemed to have crashed somehow.

"What in toadstools is that?" he asked aloud. Everyone seemed to notice it for surprisingly the first time.

"It's a castle spire," said E. Gadd, "Sticking out of the ground. How queer."

"What in the world is going on here?" Danny asked. Luigi suddenly flung the Grand Star from his cloak and grabbed onto it, sending its power to the others without warning. Then they all flew at top speed towards the galaxy below by the power of the Grand Star.

* * *

The second they hit land, Luigi zapped a Koopa into dust and returned the Grand Star to his cloak. The whole galaxy was under siege by Bowser's forces, and there weren't just penguins fighting them. There were masked ones and Griffins all over the place standing against Bowser's forces with ferocity. Not knowing where they had come from, Luigi continued to attack Bowser's forces, now using his staff to smack them into the water. Danny immediately drew his own staff and began attacking as well. Luigi had an eye on Dark Mario at all times, who was simply standing and watching the battle unfold, taking out any enemies that came his way.

Bowser's armies seemed to focus their attack on Ludwig, but were no match for his Koopa strength. E. Gadd hovered above the battle and fired on it using his Floaterconoparator 2000, leaving him unhurt. Luigi continuously brought down bolts of lightning on his foes mercilessly, burning them to ashes within seconds. Then, as a large group closed in on him on the galaxies center island, he pushed them away and knocked them dead instantly with a huge blast of electricity.

However, another force was already on him, not giving him time to catch his breath. Then the masked ones jumped in the fight and began defending Luigi. Luigi in turn took out higher ground enemies with his electricity. Danny in the meantime was fighting alongside a few Griffins at the foot of the second level of the waterfall. His staff fired lasers at the enemy while the Griffins finished them off at close range. The enemy kept coming.

"It's a magic portal!" Luigi yelled across the galaxy, "We have to find and destroy it!" A larger Griffin suddenly swooped down to him.

"Luigi! I knew it was you!" Luigi noticed the Griffin pack's symbol above his eye.

"Daniel?!" Luigi said in both shock and disbelief.

"Hop on! I'll explain later!" Daniel yelled over the sound of battle. Luigi jumped on Daniel's back with no further words and he flew off into the sky, where Luigi zapped down a few Paratroopas while scanning the land below for a magic portal like the one he had seen in Dusty Dunes. Then he spotted where the troops were swarming the most.

"There! At the top of the falls!" Luigi yelled.

"Diving down!" Daniel warned. He went into a nosedive so fast that Luigi almost fell off, but he was able to hold on, charge his electricity, and fire a massive bolt of lightning from his staff into the portal. It vaporized immediately.

After the portal was gone, the battle ended quickly. The penguins, masked ones, and Griffins all working together were able to wipe out the last of the forces, sending them over the edge of the large bowl-shaped planetoid. While everyone was regrouping and catching their breath Luigi got into a conversation with both Daniel and Facles, who was among the group that was there.

"What are you all doing here?" asked Luigi.

"We sort of crashed our ship into the planetoid," said Daniel. Luigi looked up at the castle spire, which he recognized to be one from Peach's castle.

"It took a lot of effort to fix up and build in secrecy," said Daniel.

"Yeah," said Facles, "After you left we tried to help the kingdom recover, but all of a sudden, this huge army of Bowser's forces burst from the ground and overtook us. Only a few on our side of the battle were able to escape. The others are who knows where." Luigi remembered Broque Madame and silently cursed her in his mind.

"So you lost track of everyone else?" asked Luigi.

"We think they may be in Bowser's captivity, so we've been rocketing around the galaxy looking for them," said Daniel, "He's turned practically everywhere into a prison. We were lucky to find this place."

"I'm aware," said Luigi. He told them what he had been doing since he left them and what had happened on his part. Daniel interrupted him when he got to the part about the Deep Dark Galaxy.

"So my father is safe?" he asked.

"Alive and well," said Luigi, "He is in Flipswitch at the moment." Daniel breathed a sigh of relief.

"And Chlorus and Herman are with him correct?" he asked. Luigi didn't answer.

"Chlorus yes," he said, "But Herman…" He glared over at Dark Mario, causing the other two to turn their heads.

"Is that Mario?" asked Facles.

"No," said Luigi, "That is his evil clone, that I can't get rid of."

"Why not?" asked Daniel.

"His soul is tied to my brother's," said Luigi, "If one of them dies, they both bite the dust." Daniel and Facles nodded in understanding.

"So he…" Luigi held a hand up for him to stop. The pain was like a dagger cutting right through his chest.

"Yes, he did," Luigi said weakly. Then he fell right onto Facles and began crying. Danny rushed over from where he was talking to a few penguins. Daniel waved him off with his wing. Danny backed off and returned to his conversation.

"Luigi, pull yourself together," said Daniel, "You're the hero of the universe right now; the only one who can defeat Bowser."

"And at the cost of a few more innocent lives?" asked Luigi through his tears, "I couldn't stand to see another of our allies have to leave us forever on this mission!"

"We are willing to take a risk," said Daniel, "Freedom is our goal. We want to overthrow the king; all of us. If that means to die trying, then we will die trying. And I'm sure Herman felt the same way." Danny and one of the penguins suddenly walked in the middle of the emotional moment.

"Dad, you might want to look up there," he said. Luigi looked up at where Danny was pointing and saw another old penguin not unlike Pengorno or Penguru.

"They have another cousin?" he asked.

"No," said the penguin, "Pengrius is simply our elder. He will be able to help you with your quest."

"Pull the Grand Star from your cloak dad," said Danny. Luigi did so and it immediately began to magnetize towards the old penguin. Luigi grabbed it before it could fly off.

"No wonder Bowser put this galaxy under siege," he said in realization, "He knew there was a Grand Star here!"

"If you're going to take it, you'd better hurry up and get up there," said the penguin, "He's a bit of a narcoleptic."

"I don't need to take it," Luigi responded, "I just need to ask him to use it for me."

* * *

Daniel assisted Luigi in getting up the cliff so that he could reach Pengrius. They passed by the enormous castle spire, jutting up from its enormous tip, simply stuck in the ground as they went up.

"What happened to it?" asked Luigi.

"None of us could steer it," said Daniel, "So we left it to the autopilot; which, of course, malfunctioned." Luigi thought for a moment as Daniel flew up to the next level of cliffs.

"Maybe I could have Danny help you fix it so the penguins can use it as a defense mechanism," said Luigi.

"He can do that?" asked Daniel.

"Of course," said Luigi, "He's an excellent mechanic."

"Great!" said Daniel, "But we're almost to Pengrius, so we'll have to ask him when we're done." His words were true. Pengrius now stood with his back to them. Luigi's Grand Star was going wild within his cloak. Daniel tried to talk to the old penguin.

"Um… excuse me," said Daniel, "Mr. Pengrius? We need to talk to you." The old penguin didn't respond.

"Hello?" Daniel questioned, moving closer, "You in there?" Luigi watched in annoyance as Daniel tried getting the penguin to turn around, but to no avail. Then Luigi sent a small jolt of electricity into the old penguin's body and he jumped turning around to see the two of them behind him.

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked in a rusty voice.

"I am Luigi, the Mage of Thunder," said Luigi formally, "And this is Daniel the Griffin." Daniel nodded in confirmation. The elder penguin looked at them and seemed to nod off but Luigi gave him another jolt and he jolted back awake.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm sure the penguins have told you of my narcoleptic conditions."

"Of course," said Luigi, "Now, you have a Grand Star correct?"

"I sure do," said the penguin, "But you can't have it. It's reserved for only one person in this universe; that would be me."

"I don't need it," said Luigi, "I just need your cooperation. When the time is right, I need you to put your Grand Star into a position so that it faces the center of the universe so that we can all together break the barrier around Bowser's Castle." The old penguin suddenly perked up.

"Ah, so you are the Mage of Thunder," he said.

"I am," said Luigi.

"Very well then," said Pengrius, "You have a deal. How will I know when the time is right?"

"I think you'll know," said Luigi, "Go by instinct." Pengrius nodded.

"Well, when you put it that way…" he pulled the Grand Star from under his feathers and it floated up, coming to rest on top of the palm tree above them.

"I'll leave it there and let it decide when the time is right on its own," said Pengrius, finishing his statement.

"Thank you," said Luigi.

"Anything to rid this universe of that insidious Koopa," said Pengrius, "Ah, and one last thing before you go." Luigi cocked his head to one side.

"What's that?" asked Luigi.

"You must go to the place you've been to but you haven't been to," said Pengrius.

"Been to but haven't been to… what does that mean?" asked Luigi.

"Maybe a galaxy you visited on your journey that you didn't ever go into," said Daniel. Then it hit Luigi like a ton of snowballs.

"We'd better get Danny working on that spire as quickly as possible," said Luigi, "Because when he's done, we're going on a nonstop flight to Freezeflame."

* * *

**A/N: Well, well, well, Luigi and the gang have found Daniel, Facles, and their gang by pure chance in Beach Bowl. They've also finally found the location of the second Grand Star guardian by that same pure chance. And now that they've found him, they're going straight to Freezeflame on a whim that that is where they have to be next. Won't they be surprised when they find out exactly what they're walking into. How will our heroes handle what they find in Freezeflame? Will Luigi be able to enjoy a vacation in Beach Bowl? XD And now that the second grand star guardian has been cleared up, who is the third?**

**Above anything else, I'd like to offer my heart to those families in Connecticut who lost their children to the shooting today. Twenty innocent children between age ten and five were killed, as well as eight adults, including the shooter himself. Please, if you will, keep all of the survivors in your prayers. **

**Beach Bowl was one of the most diverse galaxies in the original Super Mario Galaxy in my opinion with an ice planet, a stone planet, and a beach planet all in one.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo. **


	62. A Partial Family Reunion

Chapter 62: A Partial Family Reunion

It ended up being a relaxing week for the heroes in Beach Bowl. Danny helped some of the mechanics fix up the castle spire so that it could become a defense mechanism for the penguins and everyone else who was staying. Luigi got the R&R he needed, and, just as Danny predicted, felt much better by the time the week was over. The only thing that ruined it was Dark Mario, who did nothing but stare over the side of the galaxy for the whole time. Luigi constantly thought that he was going to jump over the edge and kill himself, but he didn't seem to want to do that. After all, he had promised to kill Luigi, and Luigi himself didn't think that he was going to rid the world of himself until that happened.

Finally, they found themselves standing on the planet and saying their goodbyes.

"Well, good luck," said Facles, shaking Luigi's hand, "We'll be waiting for the time when you become victorious over the enemy."

"I wait for that moment too," said Luigi. He turned to Daniel, who looked so much like his father now, Luigi could barely tell the difference.

"I'm coming with you," said Daniel, "I've already announced it to the others. I must come along and help you defeat our greatest enemy." Luigi nodded.

"The prophecy spoke true then," said Luigi to himself.

"We'll make sure this galaxy stays safe," said Facles, "Don't worry about anything." Luigi nodded.

"I trust your strength and numbers," said Luigi, "Be safe and show no mercy. Only together can we vanquish the evil from this universe." Daniel offered Luigi a ride to the ship which he accepted and they waved one last time before flying towards getting back on track in saving the universe.

* * *

As soon as everyone was back on the ship, plus Daniel, Danny and E. Gadd set the course for Freezeflame and the ship rocketed towards that galaxy. Luigi didn't see much of Dark Mario during the trip, as he was hiding in the shadows. He did strike up a conversation with Ludwig though, over who was in the prison when he left.

"If I remember correctly, everyone from the Comet Observatory was there, as Dad had sent Hambro and Turner with a force to attack it after learning of Roy's death," said Ludwig, "That was because the Comet Observatory floated right into the airship field being sent at it. Mario was still there, as well as Daisy. _He _was banished along with the others." He jabbed a finger at Dark Mario, who was staring into space in the corner.

"Who are the others?" asked Luigi.

"You'll see," said Ludwig, a smile creeping across his face in memory of where Bowser had banished these others to. Tanya suddenly appeared from nowhere next to them. Neither of them flinched.

"Tanya," said Luigi, tipping his hat. Tanya bowed before speaking.

"I see you are on the right track," she said, "I have been watching from afar and the prophecy has gone along smoothly."

"Do you only live to make sure this prophecy works?" asked Luigi.

"It will work on its own," said Tanya, "It doesn't need my help."

"What's going to happen next?" asked Ludwig.

"You tell me," said Tanya, "You're the one who was reading the book and the one who lost it."

"Hey, I was in a rush," said Ludwig. Luigi rolled his eyes.

"I can tell you only this," said Tanya, "But two more major deaths shall be recorded in the legend of the Mage of Thunder. Both are tied to the lines of 'four shall leave, four shall die, and one shall share his father's grave.'" Ludwig shuddered.

"Can we please not mention that part of the prophecy?" he asked.

"Gladly," said Tanya, "But it will happen."

"What about you," said Luigi, "Aren't you supposed to join me somewhere along the way like the prophecy says?"

"Maybe," said Tanya without hesitation, "But first, the third of the guardians must be found. Remember, the helper points the way." The ship lurched to a halt, but the conversation continued.

"So Daniel will know where the third one is?" asked Luigi.

"Yes," said Tanya, "You will know in time, as he will tell you eventually. Wait for that moment, and do not trigger it too soon. Things must happen in between. And the first of those is coming in 3… 2… 1…" Without warning, she vanished, just as Danny called out, "Guys, you may want to come see this."

Everyone flocked to the computer except for Dark Mario, who watched from the corner he sat in. Danny had a heat sensor up on the computer, aimed at the ice mountain planet, and it was picking up sky-high body heat signals.

"Someone's down there," said Danny, "And there wasn't anybody down there the last time I was here." As a result, they took extreme precautions in preparing to go down. Everyone was battle ready before they went down, except for Ludwig, who volunteered to stay on the ship with Dark Mario, who Luigi had declared to be an unofficial prisoner. E. Gadd and Danny rode on E. Gadd's Floaterconoparator 2000 while Luigi sat atop Daniel's back, staff at the ready. Then they jumped from the planetoid's gravity and flew at top speed towards the planet below.

* * *

They made impact in a flurry of snow and Luigi jumped from Daniel's back in order to attack the creatures that Danny had sensed. Thankfully, he dropped his staff, because to his utmost shock, the creatures were Toad children, mouths agape at seeing an old man, a teenager, a guy with an electrically charged staff, and a Griffin crash right into the planetoid.

"Toads?" Luigi said in disbelief, "But what… how did you get here?" The two Toads who had been standing there holding snowballs simply looked at each other, seeming to communicate between each other to form an answer. They turned back to Luigi.

"We were born here," the closer one said, "Duh. How did you get here? In that planet way up there?" Luigi had no answer for them, as he was too shocked to see that there were Toads in Freezeflame. E. Gadd lowered the Floaterconoparator 2000 so that he and Danny could get off.

"Can you take us to your leader?" asked Danny, "We were told by someone else to come here, so I'm guessing we're going to need to see who's in charge of you guys."

"For what?" the other Toad said, "You'll have to give us two coins if you're going to get anything out of us! Not like you have two coins or anything…" Luigi produced two coins from his cloak and the kids stared at them like they were the greatest thing that had ever existed. He gave them each one and they began squealing at each other in a childish manner about how they were rich. Then they turned back to the heroes.

"Alright, we'll tell you where our leader is," said the first Toad, "You just have to take that bridge up to the second level of the mountain. From there it's a pretty easy path to the top." He pointed all the way to the peak of the mountain where there was a small cottage with smoke puffing out of the chimney.

"Thank you," said Luigi, picking up his staff and sheathing it.

"No problem mister!" said the other Toad. They went on squealing about the money as the four heroes moved forward across the long stone bridge that the two young Toads had pointed out. As they did, E. Gadd spoke up.

"I think I might know what exactly is going on," he said, "When we were all still in Bowser's captivity, I invented a device that would stun Bowser at just the right moment so that they could all escape. That device and a lie earned me my freedom, which sent me to Flash Black. I think that my device may have succeeded and that the others escaped."

"You mean everyone else that was imprisoned?" asked Danny.

"Yes," said E. Gadd.

"But Ludwig told me that Daisy and Mario were still there," said Luigi, "Which means not everyone escaped. He also mentioned banishment…"

"So that probably means that he banished our fellow good guys to this galaxy!" Daniel concluded as they walked off of the bridge.

"But that doesn't explain one thing," said E. Gadd as they turned the corner to see something that he had caught a glimpse of when they had slowed to a stop around the galaxy. It was a small village carved into the side of the rock face, and Toads were everywhere.

"Where did all of them come from?" asked E. Gadd. As they walked through the village, they most certainly turned heads, being the only living creatures there that were not Toads. It appeared to be normal society built right into the mountain, like a Toad Town on an icy peak. And the village stretched up the side of the mountain's second level. The third level appeared uninhabited. They continued up, more and more Toads looking at them in awe. Luigi understood why. They probably recognized him.

They moved into the third level rather quickly, attracting a large group of Toads following behind them. The four of them continued moving, ignoring the ones following them, who stopped when they hit the third level of the mountain and simply watched them pass by a very wide open cave, guarded by two Toads that Luigi very well recognized. Their eyes followed the four heroes as they moved up the mountain via artificially built stairways.

When they hit the peak, they climbed a few cliffs. The Toads were all still watching from below as they climbed the last few ledges and arrived at the door of the cottage, where Toadbert was standing guard. He took one look at Luigi's face and fainted on the spot, clearly shocked at seeing the old hero so suddenly. As E. Gadd picked up Toadbert in order to take him inside and lay him in a bed of some sort, Luigi shakily knocked on the door. A muffled, "Come in," came from the other side. Luigi's hand shook as he turned the knob and opened the door. Then as the door swung open on its hinges, he almost fainted himself, for sitting at a desk across from him was none other than Princess Peach.

Peach had been crying, and Luigi could tell. Her eyes were as red as cherries and were opened wide at seeing the four of them walk in the door. She stood up and slowly but steadily walked towards them.

"Sorry," said Luigi, "We kind of scared Toadbert out of his wits." Peach fell right into Luigi's arms, bawling for apparently the umpteenth time.

"I thought… I thought you might be dead!" she sobbed, "You still hadn't defeated Bowser and… and…" She couldn't finish her sentence. Luigi had begun to shed tears as well. Danny was confused.

"Dad, who is this?" he asked.

"The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom," said Luigi, "Your aunt and Peter's mother, Peach." Danny didn't say anymore and went to help E. Gadd tend to Toadbert, who had seemed quite overwhelmed.

"How did you escape?" asked Luigi, though he was sure he knew what the answer would be.

"Bowser… he banished us from his castle and sent us here," she said through her tears, "Toadbert, the Brigade, and myself. Thankfully, we found a wonderful Toad named Francis who lived on the fire planet who is now our elder and…"

"Francis?" asked Danny turning around, "He's still here?"

"Not for long," said Peach, "But yes." Luigi was confused.

"Is Francis the guy you talked to while I was out?" asked Luigi.

"Yep," said Danny.

"What do you mean not for long?" asked Luigi.

"I'll show you," said Peach. She turned to E. Gadd who was at the other side of the cottage.

"I trust that you'll keep Toadbert safe while I'm out?" she asked.

"Absolutely," said E. Gadd. Danny tagged along with them as they moved down the peak while Daniel stayed behind with E. Gadd in order to tend to Toadbert. The Toad crowd had vanished now as Luigi noticed as they walked towards the cave guarded by the two Toads they had seen earlier.

"Princess," they bowed respectfully.

"I must see Francis," she said.

"I'm not sure he's got much longer," said the purple Toad on the right. Luigi recognized him as Michael of the Toad Brigade. The other Toad remained silent, and Luigi recognized him as the yellow Toad of the Brigade, Norman.

"We must see him anyways," said Peach. The two toads stepped aside without hesitation and Peach gestured for Danny and Luigi to follow her.

* * *

Inside the cave was small area with nothing but a few clay pots and a rug on which a very old looking Toad was lying down, looking very sickly.

"That's Francis alright," Danny whispered.

"Yes, it is," said Peach, "Francis, I have some people who are here to see you."

"I recognize the voice of one of them," Francis said, "The kid from ten years ago. Did that stuff I gave you help your father at all?"

"Yes, it did," said Luigi. Francis rolled over on his side to get a look at who he was talking to.

"The Mage…" he said weakly, "I knew it all along. I don't have much longer as I'm sure you are all aware. I may die any second now. It's hardly a ripple in the prophecy however. It's quite sad that I'm not as important as most…" He turned back over on his back.

"I am fine with it however," he said. There was a long gap of silence in between the next words that Francis spoke.

"I fear I have nothing left to give but two requests," he said, "The first is that you destroy Bowser and retake the universe from his grasp. The second… if you see that blonde boy, your family member who has supposedly turned dark, tell him that I can see right through his actions. That is all." Francis didn't say anymore after that. His chest stopped heaving.

"Hardly a ripple…" said Luigi, "Well if you ask me, he played a pretty big role in this legend."

"He has," said Peach, "Come. We will talk more back at the house." Luigi nodded in agreement and nodded for Danny to follow as they left Francis undisturbed to enjoy the peace they were sure he would receive in the Overthere, free of the strife that Bowser had brought upon the universe.

* * *

**A/N: Well, we've gone from a warm and sunny vacation to a cold and impromptu reunion. And Francis is finally free from the strife of the universe as it is. I don't know about you guys, but I think he deserves to be in the Overthere for all he's done. I've got nothing for questions on this chapter. Why don't you ask them and I'll see if I can answer without giving anything away? :D**

**Anybody catch the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker reference in there? The two girls on Windfall in Wind Waker always ask you for two rupees for a bit of information. In the same way, these two Toad children ask for two coins. Also, the Overthere came from Super Paper Mario and is basically the Mario Version of heaven.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo. **


	63. Toads Versus Blocks

Chapter 63: Toads Versus Blocks

Luigi was somewhat at peace within the next week that he spent on Freezeflame. They were welcomed by the Toads and Peach, who he still couldn't grasp was his sister-in-law, and given places to stay. Francis was honored three days after his death and after that, his home in the cave had become his grave, guarded by Toads every second of the day.

In this time, Luigi also learned of Toadsworth's death at Bowser's hands, and he reestablished his vow to destroy the Koopa King. Dark Mario was not left alone. He was brought down to the planet once or twice but Luigi didn't want to risk the lives of any of the colony's citizens, despite the fact that Dark Mario didn't seem to be interested in annihilating any of them.

Luigi found that the colony was peaceful and strong. He wondered to himself if they would go back to the Mushroom Planet if they had the chance when Bowser was defeated. It didn't seem like it. Seeing as how the children were taught fighting skills in school alongside their normal studies, the colony would be able to defend itself in the future. Little did they know at the time, their defense system would be put to the test quite soon, while Luigi was still present in the galaxy.

Toadbert and Ludwig, who hadn't been attacked on sight due to what he had done to help Toadbert get back to the others back in Bowser's Castle, were sitting on one of the ridges in deep conversation.

"Why exactly did you leave?" asked Toadbert.

"I have explained this many times," said Ludwig, "My father was growing insane. The fact that the prophecy girl had stated that five of us would die and four would live added to that told me I had to get out of there. I was accused of selfishness by my dead brother Larry, but it was the only way to survive."

"I see," said Toadbert, "So that's why you helped me."

"Yes," said Ludwig, "Once I left, I was going to need allies. You're group was no exception. And look how big it's grown."

"It's only because we were able to rescue so many of those kidnapped from the actual kingdom," said Toadbert, "Daniel's told us that he witnessed the wide-scale kidnapping himself." Ludwig nodded.

"I'm glad that none of you were caused harm," said Ludwig.

"There's still the rest of our kind at Bowser's Castle wherever that is," said Toadbert, "Probably at the center of the universe but…"

"No," said Ludwig, "Not even close. Bowser's Castle is nowhere near the center of the universe. It's on the outer reaches, where no one would think of looking. However, in order for the Grand Star method to work, it needs to be where you predicted."

"So basically, we need to somehow get Bowser's Castle to the center of the universe," said Toadbert.

"Yep," said Ludwig, "And as you might guess, that is no cakewalk. The only way to move it is…" A cannonball shell smashed into the ground behind them. They both turned and turned back in a split second. Ludwig shot up and Toadbert jumped on the top of his shell.

"Airships," they both said at once. They ran into the town yelling about the sudden invasion and many Toads grabbed their younger children and locked themselves in. Many more however, burst out of their houses with wooden and metal staves. Others simply ran out unarmed.

Luigi, who had been resting up at Peach's cottage, happened to look out the window as all of this was happening. He immediately jumped up. Peach looked up from where she sat at her desk in surprise. Danny was also sitting nearby.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Luigi pointed out the window, pulled on his cloak, and dashed out the door. Danny looked out the window now as well.

"What in tarnation…" he said in shock, "There are airships out there!" Peach stood up in haste.

"We must rally the Toads!" she cried.

"That you won't have to worry about," Luigi said popping his head in the door again before pulling back outside.

* * *

Within minutes as the airships drew closer, the Toads were loaded up on airships that had been recovered from the depths of the galaxy. They had been repaired and were now in use to defend Freezeflame. They looked as good as new and no longer showed Bowser's symbol, but the symbol of the Mushroom Kingdom, the symbol, in this time, of rebellion.

Luigi was already on Daniel and flying above where the airships were docked. He would lead them into battle. As soon as they drew too close, Luigi gave a large electricity spark from the tip of his staff, the signal giving the Toads the order to launch. The three airships immediately burst from the docking area hidden within the mountain and Luigi flew forward to the airships. He blasted cannonballs out of the way as he came closer with his staff and landed on the closest airship in the fleet.

He immediately came face to face with a block creature, whom he knocked off the side of the ship with his staff. Then he realized the entire crew was composed of block creatures, all of whom he promptly zapped. As they were all stunned, one of the Toad airships came up to the side of the airship Luigi had boarded. Toads jumped on board just as the block people became unfazed and a battle ensued. Luigi jumped off of Daniel, giving him the command to battle freely. Daniel nodded and flew off to the next airship.

Luigi joined the Toads in the fight though it didn't seem as though they needed his help. They all were able to easily subdue the block creatures and knock them out. Their skills with staves and martial arts were incredible. Luigi, seeing as how the Toads on this airship had things under control, jumped to the next, where the battle between Toad and block was still underway.

Luigi knocked over a few of the block creatures right off, zapping them into submission. He jumped them and joined the main battle in the center of the ship, grabbing a Toad that was about to be pushed off and knocking off the block creature. He then jabbed another block creature in the back with the butt of his staff and zapped him. The Toad rejoined the fray and Luigi was suddenly attacked from behind by three of the block creatures.

He swiped at them with his staff and they jumped back. He sheathed it and zapped them. Then he turned to face another who had snuck up on him. He kicked him in the stomach and then placed his palm on the dazed block creature's forehead. He focused his energy and unleashed a couple thousand volts into the block creature. It fell to the ground unmoving. Luigi moved on to the head of the airship where Michael, the leader of the Toad Brigade, was fighting the ship's captain, who was none other than Pyrux.

"Get outta my way bro!" Pyrux yelled.

"Get out of our colony!" Michael yelled back. He kicked the fire bro in the stomach and then hit him over the head with his staff. Pyrux responded with a stream of fire, which set his staff ablaze. Michael didn't flinch and continued fighting with a burning staff.

"Go on!" he called to Luigi, "We've got things under control here!" Luigi nodded in trust, then ran and jumped to the next airship, where Danny was fighting Friese alone. This airship had Koopas as well, but the Toads easily took them out, focusing more on the block creatures. Luigi jumped a small battle between two Toads and a block creature and zapped a block creature just behind that battle that was trying to knock a Toad off of the ship. Then he jumped to the front of the ship where Danny and Friese were locked in fierce combat.

"You again!" Friese yelled as he saw Luigi. Danny tried to hit him over the head but Friese rolled under the staff and kicked the teen off of his feet. Then he turned to Luigi as Danny slowly got up.

"You embarrassed me back in Dusty Dunes!" Friese said through gritted teeth, "You and that… that traitor!" Danny took a swing at him but Friese caught the staff. Luigi quickly kicked him out of the way, causing him to lose his grip on the staff and Danny hit him over the head with it. He fell unconscious.

"Let's keep moving," said Luigi.

"Right," Danny replied. They both jumped to the second-to-last ship where Ludwig and Daniel were tag-teaming Hambro and Turner.

"He sent them all at once…" said Luigi before they charged into battle, "I wonder why?"

"Maybe he's getting cocky," said Danny as he readied his mechanical staff.

"Perhaps," said Luigi as he drew his own. They charged into the middle of a large fight between Toads and block creatures and Luigi pushed them all back a little bit with an electrical blast. Ludwig hit the deck just as those who had been thrown back slightly were getting up. Luigi immediately reversed the magnetic field around them and everyone on the ship began floating in the air. Luigi quickly began running around and knocking block people out of the part of the field that had been altered. Daniel had taken down Turner by that point and he and Ludwig were working on Hambro, who was putting up quite a fight. Luigi and Danny jumped into that battle.

Hambro quickly subdued Danny and Daniel leaving Luigi and Ludwig to fight. Luigi saw Ludwig trying to get on top of the Hammer Bro in order to knock him to the ground and got an idea. As soon as Ludwig had used the reversed magnetic field to get himself over the Hammer Bro's head, Luigi switched gravity back to normal and Ludwig fell on top of the smaller Koopa. Needless to say, he was knocked out cold, and somehow was not entirely squished. Luigi helped Danny and Daniel up by hand and paw and made sure they were alright before getting ready to jump up to the next the ship.

"Dad wait!" Danny called before Luigi could jump. Luigi turned back.

"I'll be fine," said Luigi. Without waiting for Danny's response, he jumped up to the airship to confront whoever got in his way. To his surprise, there were three people. Standing before him as he looked on were Bowser Jr., Kamek, and Peter, flanked by block creatures on either side, those block creatures having captured the Toads that had jumped onto the airship.

"Well, well, well," said Bowser Jr., socking a fist into his hand multiple times, "If it isn't Luigi." Luigi's name was said in disgust. Bowser Jr. was clearly very pissed off at seeing Luigi there. Peter said nothing while Kamek hovered above the two of them.

"It's been a while plumber," said Kamek, "You've caused us enough trouble. This time we're going all out, so you had better be ready." Luigi saw that Peter clearly was not going to be any help this time, likely because Kamek was present. The look in his eyes just told Luigi that it wasn't going to happen. Luigi nodded instinctively in understanding of the situation and got his power ready. Junior raised his wand and the block creatures formed ranks. Then they charged, which was a huge mistake on their part.

Luigi countered their charge with a huge wave of electricity, knocking them all of them on their backs. Luigi lowered his hands from in front of him slowly and walked forward among the short-lived ranks of block creatures, approaching his three main opponents while still charging more electricity.

"He's grown stronger," Kamek whispered in Junior's ear.

"I am aware," said Junior, putting his wand in his shell and pulling out his brush. Luigi unleashed another bolt strike at the three of them, aiming it more to the left so that it would affect Peter as much. Kamek blocked it with a force field.

"Hmph," he said, "Stronger alright, but not strong enough." Bowser Jr. nodded Peter forward. Peter obeyed and walked towards his uncle. He pulled his pen from his belt and twirled it in his hand. Luigi didn't budge.

"Go ahead," said Peter as he drew in the air with his pen, "Hit me." Luigi drew his staff and dropped it on the deck beside him.

"I will fight you bare-handed," said Luigi, feeling the weakness flow through his body from dropping the staff. Peter gave a slight smile and sheathed his pen in his belt.

"What is he doing?" Kamek whispered to Bowser Jr.

"I think he's trying to let Peter win," Junior whispered back, "Perhaps you're right when you say that he still trusts the kid."

"Maybe you should jump in," Kamek said, "Kill him once and for all. It would be good revenge."

"You have a point," said Junior, mulling the thoughts in his head as they watched Peter and Luigi stare each other down.

"Hold on," said Junior, interrupting their little staring competition, "I believe that I should fight him. Kamek!" Kamek flew up behind him. "You're backup," said Junior. Without warning, he struck with his paintbrush and Luigi was thrown to the deck. Bowser Jr. changed the paint to yellow and flung it down at Luigi. He was barely able to roll out of the way and the paint hit the deck in an electrical flurry. His stamina was already draining as he dodged the next few balls of paint, which came in blues, reds, and purples, each with their own special properties, from ice, to fire, to poison.

Luigi was finally able to get close to his staff but he was blocked by Peter. He zapped his nephew reluctantly and made a grab for it but he was hit in the leg by blue ice paint and found himself unable to get up due to being numb in his right leg. All three of the dark siders stood over the mage and glared down at him.

"I don't care what my father says," said Bowser Jr., "I'm going to kill him right now! Any objections?" Neither Kamek nor Peter responded, Kamek from amusement at Junior's attitude, and Peter, as Luigi understood, from not wanting to blow his cover.

"I object," said a voice from the side of the airship. All three of them turned and Luigi quickly sat up. Standing on the port side of the airship was none other than Dark Mario.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I got caught up in writing a pair of Kid Icarus fanfictions (which is a pretty good set of intertwined stories with one author writing each) with my friend, who doesn't have a fanfiction account. So anyways, Freezeflame has been attacked by not only the elite bros and an army of block creatures, but Bowser Jr., Kamek, and Peter themselves. And to everyone on the final airship's surprise, Dark Mario has come to Luigi's rescue! What has motivated Dark Mario to do this? And will Freezeflame be safe? **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	64. Back from the Dark Side

Chapter 64: Back From the Dark Side

"You!" Bowser Jr. yelled. Peter and Kamek glared while Luigi stared in shock. Dark Mario jumped forward and kicked Peter out of the way, sending him flying to the side of the deck and then pushed the staff into Luigi's hand.

"Let's go," he said, "No one kills you except for me." He helped Luigi up and they both turned to face their opponents. Peter had gotten up and dusted himself off.

"I'd like to know how you survived all these years," said Kamek, clearly annoyed at seeing Mario's clone there.

"The Boos took me in," said Dark Mario, getting into a fighting position, "And I demand that you banish yourselves from this galaxy forever."

"Like we're going to listen to you!" Bowser Jr. yelled, "I'm going to kill that idiot who killed my siblings!"

"That honor belongs to me and me alone!" Dark Mario yelled back, "He's made my life miserable so I deserve to annihilate his guts!" Luigi looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Can we please stop discussing who's going to take my life and fight?" said Luigi, "It's kind of disturbing."

"For once I agree," said Kamek. Peter nodded as well. Bowser Jr. and Dark Mario fell into a silent and harsh glare. Then they charged at each other hitting each other in a wrestling position. Kamek ignored that fight and shot his geometric magic at Luigi. Luigi spun the staff in front of him and it blocked the magic. Then he fired from the tip of it, an attack that Kamek absorbed into his wand.

"I always take extra precautions," said Kamek with a wicked grin. He fired the electricity back and Luigi absorbed it into his body. Kamek nodded Peter into the fight, who immediately drew his staff from his pen and charged at Luigi. They met in a clash of staves. Nearby, Dark Mario and Bowser Jr. were still in a near impossible struggle. Dark Mario was holding his own against the large Koopa and was somehow pushing him back.

Kamek watched both battles in amusement and decided to have a little fun. He began firing fireballs at the deck and they began rolling around both battles. Luigi jumped a fireball as he continued to defend against his nephew's strikes. Then, out of nowhere, Danny flew up on Daniel and tackled Kamek, jumping off of the Griffin and landing with the Magikoopa on the deck. Daniel joined Luigi in attacking Peter, grabbing the eighteen year old from behind. Luigi immediately stopped attacking, seeing as how Daniel had Peter immobilized.

Dark Mario in the meantime had knocked Bowser Jr. over. The Koopa was struggling to get back on his feet. Danny was trying to hit Kamek with lasers from his metal staff but Kamek blocked them with magic. He knocked Danny back to the deck with a powerful offensive spell and then dove in for a finishing blow. Luigi saw this out of the corner of his eye and shot a bolt of lightning from the staff at the Magikoopa, throwing him against the mast of the airship and knocking him unconscious.

It seemed as though the good side and Dark Mario had won, but Peter broke free from Daniel's grip and smacked him across the face with his staff. Daniel jumped back holding his face.

"Why?" he asked, "Why did you betray us?"

"Why do you need to know?" Peter asked coldly, smacking him with his staff again and again.

"Peter, stop!" Daniel cried in pain, "Snap out of it! You don't have to do this!" Nobody noticed that Kamek was coming to as Luigi and Danny watched in terror as Peter assaulted Daniel.

"Snap out of it!" Daniel yelled. He smacked Peter to the deck with his paw. Peter struggled to get up. Daniel towered over him.

"Peter, please, come back to us," he said, "You don't have to do this anymore." Peter looked up at him in pain.

"I guess what Tanya told me before we left is coming true…" he said with a gritted smile, "Your darkness will end by the end of your next battle. I'll only come back if they welcome me back." He nodded towards his uncle and cousin who were staring in stunned silence. Bowser Jr.'s head was turned in shock and Dark Mario stared blankly.

"I KNEW IT!" Kamek screamed from the front of the ship. An enormous blast of magic seared a hole in the center of the deck and knocked Bowser Jr. to his feet.

"I knew he was a traitor!" Kamek screamed, "You good-for-nothing liar! You… you…" Danny shot him down with another laser, but he jumped to his feet immediately and flew to Bowser Jr.

"Come Junior!" he yelled in the Koopa's face, "We must tell your father of this mutiny!" Bowser Jr. glared at Dark Mario, then Peter, and finally at Luigi himself most of all before Kamek waved a spell over all of the airships on Bowser's side.

"Ten seconds and these airships are going back to Bowser's Castle!" Kamek yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. He began counting and the heroes immediately jumped into action. Luigi sheathed his staff and threw Danny and Peter upon Daniel's back one at a time.

"Go!" he yelled to Daniel, "I'll be fine." Daniel nodded in trust and flew from the ship. Luigi and Dark Mario began jumping from ship to ship until they reached a Toad airship and jumped aboard. Ludwig was aboard another. The countdown hit zero almost as soon as they landed and the airships all disappeared into thin air, leaving the Toads that had fought to wonder about what exactly had just happened.

* * *

When the airships pulled in, there was much celebration. No lives had been lost to Bowser's troops despite being quite outnumbered. Daniel was waiting for Luigi with Danny and Peter outside of the docks. Luigi was among the first to leave the docks so nobody was able to see Peter, who still bore Bowser's mark. Luigi jumped on Daniel's back.

"Are you alright?" Luigi asked.

"I'm fine," said Daniel, "I am one of the strongest Griffins around." He flew up with no difficulty whatsoever and landed on the cliff below Peach's cottage.

"It feels so odd that I was here just a little while back…" said Peter, "And I had promised my mother that I would be hers again soon…"

"Soon is right," said Luigi as they dismounted Daniel. As Peter came off of Daniel's back, Luigi embraced him.

"I'm glad you're back," Luigi said tearfully. Peter returned the hug.

"I am too," said Peter, "But it worries me that I won't be able to help the prisoners in the castle."

"I have a feeling that fate will bring this adventure to a close quickly," said Luigi, "It's up to me to save this universe and I'm going to do it. Now, let's go see your mother." They climbed up the short cliffs leading up to Peach's cottage and arrived at the door a minute later. Before Luigi knocked, Peter tore off the pin that visually displayed his connection to Bowser and threw it over the side of the mountain. Then Luigi knocked.

As usual, Peach didn't come to the door. E. Gadd answered instead.

"Well, I presume that you won the battle," said E. Gadd. Nobody spoke and E. Gadd saw Peter standing with his relatives.

"Oh," he said in realization, "Come on in." They entered the cottage and Peach looked up from her desk. Peter walked up to her.

"I'm back," he said with a warm smile. Peach stood up and walked over to him and looked him over. Saying nothing, she cried and caught him in a motherly embrace. Peter returned it warmly. Luigi, Danny, and E. Gadd watched the warm scene with satisfaction. Then Daniel burst into the cottage, almost destroying the doorframe.

"Luigi… distress signal… from Toy Time…" he gasped. The scene was broken up.

"Be safe," said Peach to Peter, realizing that they all had to leave again so suddenly, "And rescue your father." She kissed him on the cheek and he backed out the door as Luigi, Danny, E. Gadd and Daniel waited for him outside.

"I will," said Peter before he shut the door, "I swear it."

* * *

Bowser Jr.'s angry level was turned up to eleven, even higher than that. How dare that good-for-nothing clone think that he could steal Junior's revenge from him? And on top of that, Kamek's suspicions about Peter had been correct; he had been betraying them the whole time. It made Bowser Jr. feel like an idiot. He had always trusted his father's judgment, and his father hadn't been able to see through Mario's son.

"I can't believe this," he said to himself angrily, "I… I…" He was too angry to put the rest in words. Bowser's Castle came into view in the distance.

"Hurry it up!" Bowser Jr. yelled. Then he said to himself, "I'll make that plumber pay. As a matter of fact, I'll make them both pay! Mario will die within this next week! It's just a matter of convincing dad to do it."

* * *

As the airships pulled into the docks, full of beaten and battered block creatures and Koopas, Kamek had things rushing through his mind at hundreds of miles per hour, the foremost being, "Why does King Bowser have such faith in those four?" Those four were the elite bros that were sent out just as often as the Koopalings used to be. It was an odd question to be asking after such a large-scale battle, but it was a wonder to Kamek, who asked many questions.

Most minions Bowser just overlooked and really didn't care about. Kamek was one of those exceptions. He had taken care of Bowser in his youth and as such, Bowser favored him and even respected him at times, less so now that he seemed to be losing his mind. In the time that he had spent with Bowser, the Koopa didn't seem to care what happened to other minions. But when Pyrux, Turner, Hambro, and Friese came along, they stood out.

All four of them were amazing fighters. They also had special individual skills; Hambro was an incredibly skilled mechanic, just like Luigi's son and Iggy. Pyrux was an ingenious problem solver, despite his uneducated past. Friese was a powerful leader, with strategy and tactics at his disposal. He knew just about everything a good general should know. Turner's senses were insane. He could smell the movement of a fly from twenty feet away, which was why he was usually the prison guard.

Kamek continued to ponder the elite bros and what they possessed and happened to notice that Bowser Jr. was storming out of the airship docks.

"No surprise," he chuckled to himself, "That Koopa is steamed from that battle." He disregarded Junior's actions and flew out of the docks to go check on the prisoners. Now that Peter had been confirmed a traitor, Kamek was able to deduce many of the happenings around Bowser's Castle. Why the Dusty Dunes operations had been failures, the survival of certain prisoners, and most of all, probably why Bowser hadn't completely gripped the universe yet. All of those were Peter's doing. The kid had become closer than Kamek was to Bowser, and now he had confirmed that he was indeed a traitor, a spy, and whatever else one could call him.

Kamek entered and glided through the prison halls, which now took up the entire basement of the castle and were still growing. Prisoners had been moved in ten years and most of the first section was made up of entirely Toads. Lumas and every rebel block creature that had been found made up the third, everyone else made the fourth, and lastly, in the heart of the prison, were Bowser's greatest prisoners. Rosalina, Polari, Mario, and Daisy all resided there along with a few others that Bowser didn't want to take risks with. Kamek flew up to them.

"Your hero has been causing us quite some trouble," said Kamek, "I wouldn't expect to see him ever again with the anger that Bowser is going to be feeling from this mission." Nobody responded and everyone within view of the Magikoopa stared at him coldly.

"Your kid," said Kamek pointing directly at Mario, "Has gone back to him, which means you fools aren't going to be seeing any kind treatment around here anytime soon." Mario actually seemed to mumble something deep under his breath. Kamek didn't notice.

"So anyways," said Kamek, pulling out his crystal ball and looking into it, "I see that Bowser will be going off in three… two… one…"

"THAT NO GOOD DEVIL OF A DOUBLE-CROSSER!" Bowser's voice screamed and echoed through every hallway of the castle, "HE'LL PAY FOR THIS! NO ONE DOUBLE-CROSSES ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" Kamek had to cover his ears because Bowser's scream was so loud. And it didn't stop either.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Bowser continued. Then he must have lowered his voice because it faded.

"See?" said Kamek. Turner suddenly came walking up behind him.

"I'll take my position now," the Boomerang Bro said miserably.

"You do that," said Kamek, an idea suddenly sparking in his mind. He floated past Turner as they walked by each other and touched him on the back with his wand. Turner didn't seem to notice but Kamek knew that the spell had gone through. Then, Turner suddenly began looking around in shock as Kamek turned the corner. The last thing he saw was the Boomerang Bro turning to look at him as he disappeared around it.

"Perfect," Kamek said to himself, "Now that that's done, it's on to the other three. That plumber will be sorry he ever messed with Bowser's elite force!"

* * *

**A/N: Dark Mario and Bowser Jr. seem to have a little rivalry going here over who gets to kill Luigi. That seems to be an odd subject, but oh well. Peter's back on the good side (Yay! :)) and the heroes are now on to Toy Time on a distress call! We also get a little bit of a backstory on the elite bros and how they are exceptional minions and stand out due to different skills. And Kamek seems to have done something to Turner that he's going to do to the other elite bros. What could that be that he has done? What is this distress signal that the heroes have received? And who exactly sent that signal?**

**Well guys, I can tell you that we are throttling towards the end of this story. I have officially decided that this story is probably going to last at least ten more chapters, maybe a little more, and will have an epilogue describing what happens after the story is over. So anyways, I thank you all for reading and I will update as soon as I can!**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	65. An Ironic Ally

Chapter 65: An Ironic Ally

The journey to Toy Time was lively. The travelers were engaged in quite lively conversation all the way there, with the exception of Dark Mario, who was as reclusive as ever. Luigi, Danny, Daniel, and Peter all talked about what had been going on recently and Daniel explained that someone he met while looking for the rebels in space had sent the call. Who it was, he wouldn't say, but apparently, this person was a very good friend of his.

Dark Mario cut himself off from the rest. He was thinking and plotting about what he could possibly do to make Luigi's life miserable. The anger he had at Bowser Jr. for even thinking of the glory of killing the green clad plumber amounted to nothing anyone could imagine. Luigi's death was his honor, not anyone else's. Not age, not battle, not even Bowser himself would take it from him.

His mind was so full of rage that he began crying softly. He didn't understand what he was doing anymore. He remembered that he had wanted to kill Luigi for making his life miserable, but the thoughts going through his head about what would happen afterwards… they plagued him deeply. He suddenly felt a jolt of pain from his stomach. His clone must be starving.

"It's because that kid is no longer at the castle," he said to himself. Only then did he realize his tears. He shook them off immediately and looked up at his fellow travelers. They seemed happy. Dark Mario was just miserable; created from nowhere with no memory at all. He still had wavering thoughts about his true purpose. Originally, he had been told he was a servant of Bowser, but then he was exiled, then he came to power over the Boo Moon Boos. He had been forced to come with Luigi. Then he had decided that destroying Luigi was his only purpose. Now even that seemed farfetched.

"So who am I?" he asked himself, "Why am I here?" The ship lurched to a halt.

"We're at Toy Time!" E. Gadd called to the others, "Prepare to get off the ship!"

* * *

The group of travelers was standing on a very colorful planet when they got off of the ship. In the distance, there was a system of gigantic sweets, as well as a gigantic robot, and a strange planet with stones rolling across it. As they moved forward, a flat planet shaped like an eight bit man in red came into view.

"So where is this friend of yours?" Luigi asked as the continued to walk forward on the colorful planet of blocks.

"He's being imprisoned somewhere in the galaxy," said Daniel, pausing to look around.

"That's helpful," said Ludwig sarcastically.

"No kidding," Daniel responded, "I have absolutely no knowledge of this galaxy whatsoever."

"It's strange how there is no patrol here at all," said Danny, "Why is that?"

"There are no inhabitants in this galaxy," said Peter, "Bowser overlooked it just because of that. It's a useless place just floating in space. Pardon my rhyme."

"Well, if someone sent a distress signal from here, obviously it's inhabited," said E. Gadd, pulling out a small device that looked like a flip screen computer. He powered it on and clicked a few keys on the screen.

"Search for… distress signal waves," he mumbled to himself as he touched a few things. He held it to the sky and immediately, a wave came up on the screen.

"Bingo!" he exclaimed, "Coming from a cake in the sweet section of this galaxy!"

"Alright then," said Luigi, "I'll go with Daniel and no one else. Everyone else, stay here and be on the lookout for airships." With that, he jumped on Daniel's back and they flew off towards the sweet section of the galaxy.

Daniel flew among ice cream cones and cakes with Luigi on his back, both of them scoping out the different parts of this section of the galaxy. There were no signs of life whatsoever and only food was prevalent.

"I wonder if E. Gadd was wrong," said Luigi as they flew around a variety of cakes floating in the empty void.

"No," said Daniel, "I can smell him around here somewhere." Daniel landed himself on the largest of the cakes and Luigi dismounted him. They both walked around the different tiers, none of them seeming to give any sign of a distress signal. Daniel then jumped up to the fourth tier of the cake and sniffed around it.

"Up here!" he called down to Luigi. Luigi jumped a few tiers to get up to where Daniel had been sniffing and drew his staff. He blasted a hole in the center of the tier, revealing a small dark tunnel that seemed to go inside of the cake.

"I'm going in," said Luigi.

"Luigi," Daniel said suddenly before he jumped. Luigi looked up at him.

"What?" asked Luigi.

"Don't go crazy on him please," said Daniel.

"Why would I do that?" asked Luigi. He then jumped into the hole without waiting for Daniel's response.

* * *

As he landed, he summoned a ball of electricity to act as a light. There were rounded tunnels going in either direction, which Luigi assumed was the bottom tier of the cake. There was a sudden cry.

"Help me!" it cried. Luigi dashed to the right, as the voice seemed to echo from that side. After a short distance, he came upon a small opening covered by bars of peppermint sticks. On the other side of them was an elderly block man who was looking upon Luigi wearily.

Luigi, due to his recent experience with the block creatures, almost zapped him on the spot, but he refrained from doing so because of what Daniel had told him before he entered the cake.

"Who are you?" he asked instead, withdrawing the electricity ball due to the light in the small cramped cell the block man was in.

"My name is Ghetti of the Toy Time block clan," said the block creature in a wrinkly French accent, "I am here because I chose not to follow my tribe when they went to the Koopa's side."

"So you alone are a rebel," said Luigi.

"Can you please get rid of these bars?" he asked, changing the subject. Luigi complied and disintegrated them with a little bit of electricity.

"You are the mage?" he asked in surprise and he slowly walked out of his cell, revealing a walking stick that he used to come up to Luigi.

"Yes," said Luigi, "I am the Mage of Thunder, the destined hero to overthrow the evil king."

"Ah, so you are the one I have waited for all my life," said Ghetti, "I used to be a prime activist against Bowser in my youth. We may have worked together indirectly even. But now look at me. I am but an elder of a clan who chose to betray our past. This is all that I have left…" Only then did Luigi realize that the Grand Star within his cloak was resonating. Ghetti, as Luigi expected when he felt that resonation, pulled out from behind him a Grand Star.

"You are the third…" said Luigi in awe, "The third Grand Star guardian."

"Yes I am," said Ghetti.

"He is indeed," said another voice from the left side of the corridor. Both of them turned in surprise and saw Tanya walking towards them. She wore a yellow dress and a red bow.

"The end is nearing," she said, "The time when this journey will come to its climax and to its finish. The girl of prophecy shall approach the mage at the third Grand Star Guardian's home and direct him towards the final one of those guardians. Then the mage shall learn how to use his own power, and the power of his helpers together to bring the enemy into the power of the five Grand Stars. Only then will the final battle be within reach. These are the last lines of prophecy I will speak to you. You must ask the third Grand Star Guardian to use his star and take me along with you to where I direct." Luigi nodded and turned to Ghetti.

"Please, keep the Grand Star safe and use it when the time is right," said Luigi, "It is necessary to defeat the evil king."

"Anything to help your cause," said Ghetti confidently. Tanya touched them both.

"Excellent," she said, "Now come; the Griffin is waiting outside." She spun and they all vanished together, only to reappear at the top of the cake where Daniel was waiting. He jumped back down to the third tier in surprise when they appeared.

"Ghetti!" he exclaimed suddenly, "It's been awhile!"

"Yes," said Ghetti, "Far too long as a matter of fact. How is your father doing?"

"He apparently resides in Flipswitch at the moment," said Daniel, "I see your clan has joined Bowser's side?"

"Yes, very unfortunately," said Ghetti, "I myself stayed here and was imprisoned by my own people. What an insult that is!" Luigi was surprised that Daniel didn't ask who Tanya was. Maybe he already met her… His train of thought was cut short by Tanya who pulled him up on Daniel's back.

"Back to the ship," she said, "We must set a course for the Sky Station Galaxy as soon as possible."

"Alright," said Daniel.

"You seem to be in quite a rush," said Luigi. Tanya's face showed denial.

"Perhaps I am," she said, "You know how I am about prophecy."

"What are you hiding?" Luigi asked in curiosity, "There must be something besides that. I mean, you aren't a living representation of it... are you?"

"I insist there is nothing hidden underneath the folds of my mind," said Tanya in denial. Luigi could tell that she as lying, but he decided not to catalyze her anger any further and turned to Daniel who had been talking at the side with Ghetti.

"Let's go," he said. Daniel nodded and said good-bye to Ghetti before allowing Luigi and Tanya on his back. He took to the air and Luigi waved good bye to the elder block creature known as Ghetti as they flew off in haste. It was apparent to Luigi that Tanya was clearly in a rush to get somewhere.

* * *

Nobody asked what Tanya was doing there when Daniel landed by the group a few minutes later. Everyone had been lounging around doing whatever. Peter and Ludwig were playing an evenly matched game of chess while Danny and E. Gadd were messing around with some sort of mechanical device. Dark Mario was sitting against one of the colorful walls of Toy Time and watching everyone else.

"We're back," said Luigi needlessly. Everyone had turned when they landed so it didn't matter that he had said it.

"Where to next captain?" asked Danny as he walked over from where he had been standing.

"We go to Sky Station," said Tanya before Luigi could speak a word, "There is where we will find the fourth Grand Star Guardian."

"Since when are you in charge?" asked Danny, folding his arms, "You aren't the hero."

"But I am one of his helpers," said Tanya, "And I have extensive knowledge of the future. The prophecy must be followed and I intend for it to be followed."

"Yeah, the last time we got informed by prophecy we ended up losing one of our people," said Danny, clearly ready to start an argument with Tanya, "Why should we trust you?" Everyone was watching the two of them as they were getting into an oral battle. Tanya took a few moments to come up with words.

"How much of the prophecy has come true so far?" asked Tanya. Then without waiting for a response she answered the question, "All of it. I don't know who wrote it, or why it was written, but clearly this person intended for it to happen as it is happening. I am only the interpreter. You cannot blame me for anything." Danny was cut short right there. Luigi had let the whole argument slide through his mind and simply walked towards the ship, knowing that Danny would have no choice but to turn it towards the Sky Station Galaxy.

"_And perhaps once we get there,_" thought Luigi, "_We'll find out why exactly she's in such a rush._"

* * *

**A/N: Well, here we are in Toy Time, current population, one. The third grand star guardian has been found, and is an old friend of Daniel's, ironically a block creature, and even more ironically, the same Ghetti that was mentioned in chapter 12 (Look it up if you don't believe me). And so, Tanya, in Luigi's eyes, has joined for the last ten chapters and seems to be rushing the group towards Sky Station. Some of us will understand why when we get there but I'm not giving any hints. So here's the question for all of you (and I will not say if you get it right or not): What is making Tanya rush the group towards Sky Station? **

**While I'm on it, I should say that Sky Station was the first galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Toy Time, is our favorite Engine Room galaxy from the first Super Mario Galaxy, filled with toys and ice cream, and cake, and 8-bit Mario Bros., and etc… **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	66. The Journey to Sky Station

Chapter 66: The Journey to Sky Station

Unlike the travelling period to Toy Time, on the way to Sky Station, the travelers were relatively silent. Tanya's stern attitude seemed to dampen everyone to the point of not wishing to speak. Once or twice Danny and Peter would speak a few words back and forth but then it went quiet. Luigi himself was too busy wondering what was up with Tanya. He knew she was obsessed with prophecy, but he could definitely tell from the way she had spoken in Toy Time that she had other reasons for sending the heroes off to Sky Station in a rush.

Dark Mario again sat in the corner whispering to himself. Luigi wondered if it was right to even call him a prisoner anymore. After he had intentionally killed Herman, Luigi had been so bitter towards him. He wondered if Dark Mario had finally broken. At one point he almost went up to talk to the guy but he was interrupted by something hitting the ship and shaking it.

"What was that?" Danny said aloud. Peter seemed to realize it immediately.

"Airship shells," he said. He dashed towards the exit, quickly followed by Ludwig. Tanya spun and vanished to the outside of the ship. Danny hesitated but Luigi looked over at him and nodded. He and Daniel rushed out together. E. Gadd nodded to Luigi that he would look after Dark Mario and Luigi backed up to the exit before running out.

* * *

As Peter had predicted, shells and cannonballs were peppering the starship. The airship's insane weaponry system took out most of the first line, but more were coming. Luigi saw a huge cloud of magic surrounding them in a ring shape.

"Oh have mercy…" he said to himself, drawing his staff and spinning it around. Peter drew Ludwig a three foot sword to fight with and his own weapon of choice with his pen. Danny had his own staff out and ready while Daniel seemed to be ready to fight with his own power. With that, the second the airships got too close, Luigi reversed the magnetic field around them so that they could jump up onto them. Luigi and Danny took one airship, while Peter and Ludwig took another. Daniel and Tanya happened to take a third one that was close to the ship. Their real goal would be getting to the magic cloud and destroying it somehow.

Luigi knocked down the first line of Koopas that charged at them. Then they tag-teamed to easily reach the front of the ship, Danny slapping away those who got too close with his staff, and Luigi zapping them from a distance. The captain of the ship was a Sledge Bro that was actual kind of difficult to defeat, even for both of them working together.

The Sledge Bro's first move was to hit the mast and break it, causing it to fall towards the two of them. They were able to dodge it and then Luigi tried to zap the Sledge Bro, ultimately failing to affect it at all. The Sledge Bro then charged at them which allowed Danny to cleanly impale him through the stomach. However, for some reason, even that didn't kill him and he went even crazier. Only after Luigi hit him over the head with his staff did he fall to the ground dead.

"What is up with these guys?" Luigi asked, "I'm pretty sure they weren't this strong the last time I saw them."

"I don't know what to say either," said Danny as he twirled his staff in his hand and sheathed it. The two of them got ready to jump to the next ship, but out of nowhere, from somewhere towards the back, Luigi got hit in the leg by some sort of a laser.

He was knocked back in pain.

"Dad, are you alright?" Danny asked in sudden panic.

"That hurt…" Luigi moaned. The pain in his leg was searing. Another laser was fired and Danny blocked it with his techno-staff. Then, in one swift movement, he picked his father up and yelled to Peter and Ludwig, "My dad is hurt! You guys take charge!"

Peter heard Danny clearly and made the mistake of looking over at the bordering airship where he and Luigi were. A block creature knocked him to the ground and Ludwig charged at that block creature. Another laser was on its way though, and Ludwig was forced to pick the block creature up, shake him, and then hold him up in defense, thus causing the laser to hit him in the back.

Ludwig threw the block creature aside and swiped aside another set of enemies with the sword he had been drawn. Another laser hit at his feet as he took the helm of the ship.

"What is shooting those lasers?" Ludwig asked in annoyance as he tried to steer the ship closer to the edge of the fleet.

"I don't know," said Peter, "But I think we should worry more about getting rid of the magic cloud first."

"But the only way to do that is…" Ludwig started.

"Less talk, more do!" Peter yelled as the next airship came into range, "Let's go!" Ludwig rolled his eyes and jumped after Peter onto the next airship, which was just close enough for him to jump on without falling into space. The next airship didn't stand a chance as it was full of Goombas, and the next didn't either due to the lack of enemies. Soon they reached a rendezvous point with Tanya and Daniel, who had been doing quite well on their own.

"Where's Luigi?" asked Daniel.

"Injured," said Peter concisely, "We need to use a password to get rid of this cloud of magic. And it has to be put in in a certain place."

"Well that's helpful…" said Daniel sarcastically, "Where are we going to get a password?" He turned to Tanya, "Do you know it?" Peter and Ludwig both stared at him like he was an idiot.

"Excuse me, but I've been working for Bowser for the last ten years," said Peter, "And he knew Bowser long before I did. I think either of us can put in a proper password."

"Oh," said Daniel, "Then what are we waiting for?"

"What _are_ we waiting for?" asked Ludwig in response, pointing at a swarm of enemies that were glaring at them murderously.

"I'm surprised they haven't attacked us," Peter mused. Then they all suddenly charged, throwing enemies into the void and knocking them unconscious to the deck. They might have killed a few, given how they were fighting brutally, but most just ended up floating into space. They steered this ship right to the edge of the fleet and crashed into one that was coming into the area. The group jumped as quickly as possible the next ship over and Daniel had to struggle to grab Ludwig before he fell into the void. They all ended up on this ship safely to find it empty and stationary.

"This must be the place," said Peter, cautiously taking a few steps forward. A laser almost hit him right in the head from up at the top of the mast but he rolled out of the way.

"Keep moving guys!" he yelled, "There's a Super Sentry Beam up there!" One laser after the next came down from the top of the mast where, sure enough, there was a blue, cylindrical robot firing down at them. The group was kept on the move as they searched for where they had to put in the code. Unfortunately, they couldn't find it and the lasers were coming faster. On top of that, fresh enemies from just coming in airships were jumping on board theirs which put them at a huge disadvantage. It was difficult to defeat enemies and dodge lasers at the same time.

"We have to retreat!" Peter yelled after he had searched the entire ship. The others got the message and Peter got onto Daniel's back as quickly as possible. Tanya warped Ludwig and herself as Daniel flew with all of his might to get him and Peter back to the ship before another laser could be fired at them.

* * *

The surface of the ship looked awful due to being pummeled by multiple cannonballs. As soon as Daniel and Peter landed, they got inside, where they found E. Gadd punching random digits into the computer frantically. The whole starship shook from being hit so many times.

"What is he doing?" asked Peter.

"He's hacked into the system that created this magic cloud and is trying to find the code to disable it," said Danny as though it were obvious. Peter rushed up to the computer and immediately took over in punching into the keyboard, coming up with the number 455438846737582377.

"Now how do you figure that?" asked E. Gadd.

"Watch," said Peter simply, pressing the enter key. Then the screen read, "_Password accepted, system repealing magic clouds._"

"Start firing," said Peter after everyone had taken the time to read the screen. E. Gadd put the command in the computer and within the next five minutes, no more airship shells were hitting them. Everyone was silent for a few minutes before E. Gadd brought the matter of the password up.

"Where did you pull that number from?" asked E. Gadd.

"Phone digits," said Peter, "It's the code Bowser uses for everything nowadays."

"Phone digits…" E. Gadd began to think, "Oh! It spells out, 'I'll get those plumbers!'" Danny smacked himself in the face at the realization that he should have known that. Luigi, who didn't seem in the mood to talk, simply shook his head. His leg was wrapped in a wet towel now.

"How is he doing?" asked Peter after E. Gadd had reaffirmed that their destination was Sky Station to the computer.

"He'll be fine," said E. Gadd, "He should already be able to walk again. The laser didn't go that deep. I'll still have to bandage it though." Sure enough, by the time they arrived in Sky Station about a half hour later, Luigi was up and running, his leg wrapped in a bandage. He still limped slightly but as E. Gadd had said, the laser hadn't hurt him all that much.

Still, he didn't seem as though he wanted to speak and he motioned for Tanya to come with him outside the ship. Tanya nodded silently and followed him to the ship's surface. Despite the distraction of craters and cannonballs on said ship's surface, they were able to gaze upon a peaceful looking galaxy with a mix of grassy and mechanical planetoids. It surprised Luigi that the place seemed so serene and undisturbed.

"What's up with this place?" asked Luigi, "Is it a colony?"

"Perhaps it would be," said Tanya, "If the prison wasn't cursed." Luigi decided not to question what she meant by cursed and she held out her hand for him to take so that they could teleport to the planetoid. Luigi took it and found that it was quite cold and clammy, but didn't have time to ponder it because within the next second, he was in interspace.

* * *

When they exited interspace, they found themselves on a planetoid that was a mix between grassy pasture and mechanics. Empty Banzai Bill Cannons lined its sides and one of them went through and seemed to lead inward to the inside of the planetoid. When they walked up to it however, they were bounced back. A force-field of some sort was covering the door.

"You must go into the prison and search for the final Grand Star Guardian," said Tanya, "This is the only way in or out and I cannot enter myself."

"Why not?" asked Luigi.

"This force-field even surpasses the power of interspace," Tanya responded, "Only the mage may enter and exit." Luigi half-understood what she was saying. He turned to the force-field covered cannon and held his hand out to it, charging electricity as he did so. Then he walked forward, slowly coating his entire body in an electric field. When he hit the force-field, he passed right through. He was in.

Just as he was about to continue onwards, he heard Tanya's voice outside. It was distorted through the force-field, as was everything else, but he could make out some words.

"_Give… my regards_," he put together. Of course, Tanya would know who the final guardian was. She knew everyone else in the universe after all. He turned at the intersecting corridor and walked to the left. He wasn't surprised to see that there were sad creatures of all shapes and sizes wandering around inside the prison and many others who were dead or dying from starvation or exhaustion. Seeing as how Sky Station was pretty much empty on the outside, this was probably an abandoned prison.

No one interacted with him as he walked through it and most simply stared in awe at seeing him, probably shocked that someone could pass through the barrier. Then, as he turned right at the end of the corridor he had previously turned into, he found a dead end with a single open cell at its end. Two people, one a woman with dazzling blue eyes and graying blonde hair wearing a tattered white dress which had tied around the waist a rainbow colored bow, and the other a man wearing a ruined suit, and beat down top hat over purplish hair, sat solemnly within it, and a Grand Star hovered in between them. And Luigi somehow knew exactly who they were.

"Count Blumiere… Lady Timpani…" he said breathlessly, tipping his hat in virtuous respect.

* * *

**A/N: It appears our fourth and final grand star guardian… er… guardians, are Count Blumiere and Lady Timpani, the two story driving characters from Super Paper Mario! Somehow they have ended up in the Sky Station prison, which has been mysteriously cursed with a barricading force-field that only Luigi can pass through. What are they doing in the Sky Station prison? And where did they get that Grand Star? I really don't have much to say about them right now. The next chapter though…**

**Count Blumiere was the main villain in SPM, as most of us already know, and Timpani helped Mario as a Pixl in that same game, as most of us already know. They went by Count Bleck and Tippi respectively. Oh, and I made up the Super Sentry Beam. :D**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas and places belong to Nintendo. **


	67. Blumiere and Timpani

Chapter 67: Blumiere and Timpani

There was a shocked silence between Luigi and the two people sitting in the cell. He had heard from his brother about these two; not a lot, but stuff that told him that they were very important people.

"I remember you," said Blumiere looking up from the ground, "The mechanical genius. You were useful back then. I should apologize for my actions now." Luigi nodded in acceptance, despite his memory of the adventure he had had with them involved being foggy. He understood who they were and that was enough for him to know.

"How might you have gotten in?" Timpani asked softly.

"By my powers," said Luigi, "I am the Mage of Thunder." Blumiere nodded at him as if to say to go on. Luigi summoned a ball of crackling green electricity that rested in the palm of his hand.

"I understand," said Blumiere, "The prophecy holds very true."

"It does," said Luigi, "I have heard it all throughout this journey I have had in this universe from a certain someone who is called Tanya. She is waiting for me outside right now and asked me to give you her regards." The two of them looked between each other silently and sadly. Luigi couldn't guess what they were trying to communicate between the two of them, but he could tell it was very personal.

"You have met her as well," said Blumiere, taking a deep breath before continuing, "We are very well acquainted with her. She... used to visit us in the Flipswitch Galaxy from time to time. She is very kind, and I don't know what all of us would do without her."

"So you are the Paper Gang's boss?" Luigi questioned.

"Yes," said Blumiere, looking down at his feet, "I was captured along with my wife years ago, and we were brought here, leaving the Paper Gang and little Tanya behind… that was almost fifteen years ago now."

"They said that Bowser overlooked Flipswitch," said Luigi in memory of the visit ten years before.

"He did after I was captured," said Blumiere, "I insisted that Timpani stay behind to look after the others but… well, we can't be separated and she begged to be taken as well."

"So what happened here?" asked Luigi, looking around the hall of the abandoned prison. Timpani answered this time.

"Just about three years ago, the guards of this prison were called back and they simply left, placing a force-field over the only exit so that we could not escape," she explained, "Bowser apparently felt that this place was of no use to him anymore and just left us for dead here." Luigi's oath to destroy the Koopa King churned inside of him and burned even brighter than ever before. The fire burned for a few minutes until Blumiere said, "Anymore questions?"

"I've got plenty," said Luigi, "But I won't waste your time."

"Believe me," said Blumiere, "We've got all of the time in the world. We're stuck here until that force-field is removed, and that isn't going to be happening until someone finds just the right magic spell to remove it. It is your time you must worry about. Which brings me to this; why are you here?"

"I am here because this is where I was directed to find the fourth and final Grand Star," said Luigi, "I am to ask you to use its power to help me destroy the barrier around Bowser's Castle so I may get in."

"The prophecy strikes again," said Blumiere through accepting closed eyes, "The Grand Star's power is yours to use whenever you call upon us with your own." It took a few minutes for Luigi to figure out what he had just said.

"So when we get to Bowser's Castle, I use my Grand Star to contact all of you guys and you activate yours so that the barrier is destroyed correct?" asked Luigi, trying to get things straight.

"Not quite," said Blumiere, "I'm sure someone at least has told you that the place you target must be at the center of the universe correct?"

"No…" said Luigi in confusion, "Are you implying that Bowser's Castle is not in the center of the universe?"

"So you don't know…" said Timpani softly, "Please explain dear." Blumiere nodded.

"What has to happen is that the castle must be brought to the center of the universe in order for the technique to work," said Blumiere, "The castle is, rather than being there, at the edge of the universe. You will have to find some way unknown to myself to get it there. Then call upon us." Luigi nodded in understanding, but on the inside he felt extreme disbelief. How in the world was he going to move something from the edge of the universe all the way to the center?

"I understand," said Luigi, "How do I figure out how to do… that?"

"You will find the answer in time," said Blumiere, "Now go and save this universe. Do not worry about us; the Grand Star itself keeps us from fading." Luigi nodded again and slowly backed away. His Grand Star slowly stopped reacting so heavily as he stepped further back.

"Hurry," said Blumiere, "And tell Tanya that we miss her, just as much as she misses us."

"I will," said Luigi with confidence. He took one last look at the couple and then walked swiftly towards the way he had come.

* * *

Tanya was waiting for him outside still. When he saw her, he nodded, letting her know that it was done.

"I trust you spoke to them?" asked Tanya.

"I did," said Luigi, "They say that they miss you very much." Tanya nodded sadly, and inwardly, Luigi wondered just how deep the connection between her and them was.

"We must go to the location of Bowser's Castle," said Tanya, "It shouldn't be hard to find." Luigi understood. Peter and Ludwig had been there for almost ten years apiece. They would know exactly how to find it. Tanya grabbed Luigi's hand and spun.

Exiting interspace, they found themselves back inside the ship. Their entrance surprised no one.

"We must go to Bowser's Castle immediately," said Luigi, "It is time for the final battle to be initiated." Peter stepped forward.

"Then we must say where it is," he said, "It is closest to the Flash Black Galaxy." Ludwig nodded in agreement.

"Yes, just past there is our destination," he said. Luigi was amazed at how close he had been to his archenemy just ten years before. He could tell Danny was surprised too. E. Gadd seemed less so.

"It makes sense," he said as he put in the commands into the computer, "The launched me from a normal Launch Star when I escaped. It couldn't have propelled me too far." The ship lurched, signifying that their course was set and that they would be throttling towards Bowser's Castle at full speed. The final battle was within reach.

* * *

It was silent during the journey, especially in Dark Mario's corner. No one dared to approach him, and he didn't want anybody approaching him anyways. His mind was made up. He was nothing, just one half of someone else. All he had been made for was to be a part of that someone else. It depressed him beyond all imagination, but he knew that if he was looking for his purpose that this was it. It shocked him to the core to think about how long it had taken him to figure it out.

He still questioned what he was going to do when they arrived at the castle. He definitely wasn't going to be fighting alongside them; that he could be sure of. Luigi had caused him enough pain. His current plan was to find his double and restore his soul, thus fulfilling his purpose. However, even this bit him with reluctance. Was it really worth giving his life to the brother of one whom he hated so much? This question tore his mind in two.

Then he remembered that this was not his life. He was part of someone else's life. He wasn't even supposed to exist. He was nothing but the work of sorcery. And he hated to think that. He wanted to be someone and to have his own life. But he couldn't, because he was a piece, a shattered remnant of a mirror that had once been pristine. The original Mario was what was left of that mirror. And he resented this, that he was a broken part. Why couldn't he be the original, the one who would live life?

"No," he told himself, "No, I do have a purpose, and that purpose is to fulfill the one I have come from." The ship halted. They were right outside of the Flash Black Galaxy.

* * *

Luigi exited the ship to look upon the galaxy below him, the one he had vanished from ten years before, and the one that he had appeared at just about two weeks before. He wrapped his cloak around him tightly and shuddered. Danny stood at his side, staring blankly at the galaxy below. Luigi could still see chunks of metal on the planetoid below them from when the Comet Observatory had been destroyed.

It surprised him that it actually hurt to look upon this galaxy. This was where one journey ended and another began, just as Star Hill had been. He thought back to the day he had left Sarasaland, then to when he had arrived at Star Hill and left the Mushroom World with Danny and Peter when they were still young children, to the time he had pulled the staff from the dark world and entered the interdimensional rift. Finally he remembered reappearing to find Tanya on the stone path far below them, and entering this section of his journey, that had yet to end.

"It will end soon," said Luigi. He hadn't realized that tears had come to his eyes out of nostalgia.

"It will dad," said Danny, patting him on the shoulder, "It will." Out of nowhere, a laser suddenly pierced through the ship. Luigi and Danny were thrown to the ground and immediately, everyone who had been inside rushed out, with the exception of Dark Mario. As another laser passed over them, Luigi dashed inside, located Dark Mario in his corner, where he had fallen unconscious, likely from thinking to himself too much, and carried him out, just as another laser pierced through the starship.

When he arrived on the surface of the ship again, he found that it was falling through space from being hit so many times. He saw, not far off, that Bowser's enormous battleship was heading towards them.

"Great, now what do we do?" asked Daniel. Luigi laid down Dark Mario, who slowly awakened as he pulled the Grand Star from his cloak.

"We get up there, said Luigi, seeing that the battleship was almost directly above them. He spun the Grand Star around and forced its power into the starship. The immense amount of power shot the starship up to level with the battleship, just close enough so that they could board.

"This is convenient," said Ludwig as everyone used the Grand Star's power to get over there, "This is the only thing that can get Bowser's Castle to the center of the universe."

"Say what?" Luigi said in surprise as they floated over to the other vessel.

"Never mind," said Ludwig, "We need to get to the engine room so your kid can fix a few things up for us."

"Okay…" said Luigi, still confused as to what Ludwig was talking about. He lifted Dark Mario, Ludwig and himself over to the battleship and looked back to watch their starship sink down to the Flash Black Galaxy, flaming as it went. Then, wasting no time, he dashed after all of the others. He didn't even bother noticing that Dark Mario was not with them. Filling his mind were thoughts rushing through, realizing that the final battle had now truly begun. This was it.

* * *

**A/N: And here we are, on Bowser's battleship for the second time. The fourth Grand Star has been confirmed and our heroes, after losing another mode of transportation, must go to the engine room for some reason according to Ludwig. Thus here is where the final battle begins. What will they find in the engine room? Will it help them get Bowser's Castle to the center of the universe? And what exactly will this final battle be like?**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	68. Entrance

Chapter 68: Entrance

The group of seven rushed across the surface of the enormous battleship, dodging lasers from turrets and taking out whatever enemies that opposed them in their search for the engine room. Luigi didn't notice that Dark Mario wasn't with them until they had found a safe place to hide.

"Where's… Dark Mario?" Luigi gasped.

"I don't know," said Peter, catching his breath, "I thought he was with you guys."

"It doesn't matter," said Ludwig, "He's on the ship somewhere, and he can't throw himself off of it. It was upgraded with an extremely strong gravity field so that no one could fall off before Iggy left." Luigi looked around the room they had chosen to hide in. It surprised him to find that this was the same room that he had been imprisoned in over ten years before. He immediately cut off his thinking though, because it would have led him to think about Herman.

"We have to find the engine room," said Luigi.

"What needs to be fixed anyways?" asked Danny.

"There's a valve that needs to be replaced so that we can easily hack into the engine controls," said Ludwig, "We're going to have to split up into two teams; one to go to the engine room, and the other to head to the control room so as to take it over and start hacking."

"I'll go with E. Gadd and Daniel to the control room," said Luigi, "The rest of you head to the engine room."

"Right," said Danny, "Let's move out." Tanya straggled behind a little bit as she was thinking.

"It won't be much longer," she said to herself soothingly looking into the blue diamond at her staff's tip, "Soon this war will be over and we'll all be able to live together in peace again…" With that she hurried to catch up with her group.

* * *

It didn't take long to find the control room, as it was quite obviously seen from the place they had hidden briefly. It was the most built up area on the ship. Luigi zapped the guards guarding the way in and the three of them went inside. No one disturbed them on the way up the stairs, and when they reached the door to the room, they found it ajar. Luigi opened it a crack more so that he could see inside. What he saw was a bunch of Koopas messing around inside as though having a party.

"Wait here a second," said Luigi quietly as he opened the door a little more. Then he flung it open and rushed inside, zapping Koopas and blasting them out of the front window of the control room. Within seconds, they were all lying on the deck of the ship below, entirely unconscious. Luigi blew on his hand as though it was gun that had just been shot and motioned for the others to come in.

E. Gadd immediately set to work on the controls.

"Can you hack it?" asked Luigi.

"I'm into the engine room, but that valve needs to be replaced in order for me to take control of the engine," said E. Gadd, "It seems that that one valve is the engine's firewall."

"Who comes up with this stuff?" Daniel asked in amazement.

"It's probably the work of those magic clouds," said Luigi, "They can conjure up pretty much anything."

"True," said Daniel.

"Yep, we just have to wait until they get into the engine room," said E. Gadd, "Just wait." The screen suddenly gave an all clear message and E. Gadd said with a smile, "They've done it."

* * *

While they were having an easy time getting into the control room and taking it over, the others were facing legions upon legions of Koopas coming from magic clouds all over the front half of the ship. Peter was able to disable them with his pen by replacing them with mist, but they were abundant.

"Where is the engine room?" Danny asked as he swept aside a line of Koopas headed at him.

"Just a little further!" Ludwig yelled in response. He smacked a Koopa into its shell and threw it at some others.

"Follow me!" he yelled. He made way for a small building built into the ship just ahead of him. Lasers on their heels, the group took down another large force of Koopas and entered the building, which led to a tall, twisting room with a winding staircase.

"This way," said Ludwig. Koopas charged through the door as they made a run for it down the stairs. Tanya and Danny took the rear, firing on the enemies that were following them with their weapons.

"Hurry you two!" Peter yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Danny jumped the rest of the way down, while Tanya simply floated down. Peter waved his pen around, and suddenly, a large, quickly spinning, and open fan appeared in the path of their enemies. The group didn't bother turning back after their enemies were chopped to bits. They were now in a large room with a machine quite a bit too large for the room. Looking up, it was visible that this was the engine and that it reached all the way to the top of the room. The staircase wound around it.

Peter withdrew the fan as Danny investigated the engine.

"So what do I need to fix, and how is it going to work?" he asked.

"There's a valve on here that prevents the ship's controls from being hacked into," said Ludwig walking up to his side. Peter looked upon the large machine with the others now.

"It's going to be tough to find," he said, "An engine like this needs hundreds of such valves."

"Or maybe it won't," said Danny, pointing to a valve just above his head that had the words, 'Do not touch,' engraved on it.

"That makes things much easier," Peter mused. Ludwig boosted Danny the few extra inches that he needed, and he set to work on investigating and working on the valve. He twisted something here, and tinkered with another there, and then pulled it out entirely, finding that it was wired into the ship.

"Oh, this is easy," he said aloud, "This wire needs to be attached… and this one…" He messed around with the wires for a few more seconds and then pushed the valve back into place. Then he punched it for good measure. Immediately an alarm went off and out of hidden doors came hundreds of Koopas. Danny jumped down and prepared to fight with the others, and the force charged at them within the next few seconds. They were about to charge against their enemies, but a sudden lurch caused everyone to pause for about a minute and a half, and then a huge boost of speed knocked everyone to the ground.

* * *

E. Gadd had immediately set to work on hacking the system, which he did within exactly three seconds. Then he had typed in a few commands as his company watched him in awe. A lurch shook the ship after he was finished.

"Now that's done…" said E. Gadd, "I believe the castle is hooked onto us like a trailer now, and that's what that lurch was."

"How does that work?" asked Daniel.

"Strange magnetics," said E. Gadd, "The castle seems to be attracted towards the ship when a special magnetic field is caused between the two."

"That's interesting," said Luigi.

"Now we get to the center of the universe in three… two… one…" The ship suddenly burst forward at lightning speed. The G-force everyone on the ship was feeling was incredible. Then, just as suddenly as the speed had started, it stopped and the ship screeched to a halt, sending all three of the heroes flying through the broken window of the control room. They all landed on the deck in pain, but not majorly hurt.

In the meantime, the engine room group had taken advantage of the sudden halt to take out those that had been sent after them due to the alarm. It wasn't all that hard, as they had recovered much faster than their enemies and were able to easily take them all out.

"We have to get back to Luigi and the others," said Peter as he stood at the foot of the stairs, "Let's go!" As they exited, the magic clouds plagued them again, though Peter's turning them into mist by his pen's strange ways was somewhat of a facilitation. They met up with the others, who were standing up and dusting themselves off.

"That was exhilarating," said Luigi as he saw them approaching.

"What happened?" asked Danny.

"I put it in light-speed," said E. Gadd, "After I hooked the castle up of course."

"Is it still there?" asked Peter as they walked towards the back end of the ship. Sure enough, the enormous Bowser's Castle was floating behind them in space. Luigi breathed hard. He knew what to do now. He once again brought the Grand Star out of his cloak and held it high above his head.

"Now is the time," he said. The Grand Star carried him to the top of the control room and set him down gently, still hovering above his head. His companions watched him from below. He spun the Grand Star and then whispered words that strangely flew through his mind and out his mouth.

"Five Grand Stars, assist the mage, open the door to evil's cage," he whispered. The Grand Star above his head shined brightly and then shot a burst of light into the castle, revealing an enormous force-field surrounding it.

* * *

Far away in the Gusty Gardens Galaxy, James happened to be looking out of the window of his home when he suddenly cried out.

"Daddy! Daddy look!" he cried, "The star is shining!" Bennet, Janet, and Ella all came up to the window and looked in awe at the star that Bennet kept on the top of the cube. Ella nodded at Bennet and his family watched him as he walked outside and called upon the Grand Star's power to bring him to the cube. When he arrived, he stood upon the fountain on its top, where the Grand Star hovered above. Just as they had with Luigi, words flowed through his mind.

"Five Grand Stars, assist the mage, open the door to evil's cage," he whispered. The Grand Star spun around and shot a light towards the center of the universe, where it struck the force-field.

* * *

In the Beach Bowl galaxy, Facles was busy tinkering with something on the outside of the tower, when he noticed that the star on the palm tree on the highest ledge above the bowl was shining.

"Luigi is calling…" he said breathlessly. He scrambled to the top of the bowl, and found that Pengrius was already underneath the palm tree and whispering something under his breath.

"Five Grand Stars, assist the mage, open the door to evil's cage." A light shot out of the Grand Star and struck Bowser's Castle's force-field in the center of the universe, making three lights. The force-field seemed to grow dimmer.

* * *

Ghetti watched the Grand Star from the cake in Toy Time intently. He was waiting for the moment about to arrive, and he knew what his action must be once it came. The Grand Star shined on and off suddenly.

"It's time," he said to himself. He positioned himself under it and whispered just as the others had, "Five Grand Stars, assist the mage, open the door to evil's cage." Just as it had been with all of the others, the light shot out, and in the center of the universe, when it struck, the force-field grew ever dimmer.

"Hurry…" Ghetti whispered, looking in the direction of the light.

* * *

Within Sky Station's prison, Blumiere and Timpani waited silently for the moment when the Grand Star would give them Luigi's call. They both looked at each other as some sort of a comfort. They knew that once the Grand Star shined, it would all be over. Their freedom would be near. Then the Grand Star shone forth.

"Are you ready?" asked Blumiere, taking Timpani's hand.

"I've been ready," said Timpani, taking his other hand as well. The Grand Star above them, they chanted under their breath, "Five Grand Stars, assist the mage, open the door to evil's cage." The light of the Grand Star pierced through the roof of the prison. Though they could not see it, the light was finding its way to the center of the universe.

"Now we wait," said Blumiere quietly.

* * *

Back on Bowser's battleship, the light from Sky Station was reaching the castle. It hit the force-field and in the next second, it shattered as though glass. Luigi opened his eyes in amazement. The Grand Star receded into his cloak and he slid down off of the control room's top. His fellow heroes were waiting for him.

"Are we all ready?" asked Luigi, even though he knew the question was stupid.

"Why do you even ask?" asked Danny, flashing a smile, "Let's go!" Luigi spread the Grand Star's power among them all, and they shot forward into the castle, sliding inside to the entrance. It was beaten from the trip and the roof and walls had fallen in in many places around them. And when they entered, the first things they saw were none other than the elite bros, with Kamek hovering above them.

"Welcome to your death idiots!" Kamek cackled, "Let's get them boys!" The four elite bros below him cracked their knuckles and readied their abilities.

"Let's make this a fair fight," Luigi whispered to his friends and family, "Peter, you take E. Gadd go find the prisoners." With that, the two of them rushed off past the elite bros and Kamek, who didn't bother stopping them.

"They will die later," said Kamek, "Now we fight." As Luigi's side prepared for the five on five fight, Luigi suddenly felt a certain aura about the elite bros. They seemed… unlike they had been before. It gave him bad vibes, which he certainly did not like. This battle was going to be strangely different.

* * *

Dark Mario slipped silently through the halls of the deepest part of the prison. Somber faces were all around him, but he disregarded them all. He didn't care about them. He didn't care about anyone right now. He knew who he was looking for, and he was going to find him at all costs.

Finally, he found himself at what he was sure was the center of the prison. A large circle of cells on all different levels hosted many significant figures from the universe, from Rosalina, to Starlow, to Mario himself. They were all there, and Dark Mario walked around the tower of cells, watched by all of the prisoners within it. He saw one empty cell and on it was a sign that said, "Reserved for Green Stache." He disregarded that too.

No one spoke as he stood before Mario's jail cell. Mario appeared to be on the brink of death. Dark Mario could feel the pain coursing through his entire body that he had been feeling for such a long time. He slowly walked up and reached into the cage.

"Get up you!" he whispered harshly. Mario seemed not to respond but he sat up slowly and looked at Dark Mario with blank and broken blue eyes. He didn't seem to understand.

"Reach out your hand to me," said Dark Mario, a little bit more calmly, "It is time for you and me to become one once again." Mario seemed to harbor disbelief, but his arm reached out. Dark Mario shakily reached into the cage towards it but then pulled back. His life flashed before his eyes, from suddenly seeing the features of Bowser's throne room to getting thrown off in the Boo Moon Galaxy, to the moment. In just over ten years he had lived an awful life.

"Take my pain…" he muttered, realizing he had been weeping. Before Mario could retract his arm, Dark Mario had reached out and grabbed it. Slowly and surely, he began to lose consciousness and his body began dematerializing, but without pain. This was it for him. The tear between the two of them would be mended. He would no longer feel what pain he had felt throughout his entire life. And on the inside, as Dark Mario soaked in his last moments of consciousness, he knew that what he had just done was right.

* * *

**A/N: They've done it. They're inside Bowser's Castle and facing off against the elite bros, while Peter and E. Gadd go off to free the prisoners. However, Dark Mario has reached them first and mended the tear between Mario and him, and as such, is no more. All that remains now is infiltrating the castle, and it appears that with the vibes Luigi is having, it's going to get interesting. What is it that Luigi senses about the elite bros? And what is in store for this final battle?**

**I made a reference to the Subspace Emissary in this chapter, when Luigi smashed all of those Koopas through the window. Remember that scene? I suppose the use of light-speed could also count towards a reference to Star Wars.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	69. Free At Last

Chapter 69: Free At Last

Something was definitely amiss in the fight against the elite bros. Luigi's side seemed to be overpowered by their enemies' strength. Luigi himself fought Friese, Tanya had taken Kamek, Daniel took on Hambro, Danny took Pyrux, and Ludwig chose to attack Turner. None of the elite bros were relenting, and their attacks were much stronger than they had been before.

"What happened to you guys?" Luigi asked fiercely as he tried to slam into Friese with his staff.

"Let's just say we got a few… enhancements," Friese said wickedly. A blizzard suddenly shot from his hands at Luigi, and Luigi had to electrocute himself in order to stay warm. When it subsided, Luigi was freezing and Friese was charging him. Luigi called up an electrical force-field around him so that Friese bounced off and back, but he seemed unfazed.

He fought the numbness from the cold and countered Friese's blows. He couldn't believe what was happening. The Elite Bros had gained considerable strength and advances to their powers. It was either the work of the powerful magic Bowser used, or Kamek himself, who had his own secret spells.

Luigi's train of thought was broken when he backed right into Danny, whose clothes were slightly smoldering from Pyrux's attacks. There were burns up and down his arms and on his face.

"No luck on your end?" he asked as they prepared to defend themselves.

"Nope," said Luigi, "Rotten minions… They're willing to stop at nothing to destroy us."

"Makes sense to me," said Danny, "They do hate us after all."

"And I thought this was going to be a fair fight," said Luigi, shocking Friese. Friese felt none of it and summoned another blizzard. Danny quickly opened his staff's secret compartment and pressed a few buttons. A force-field appeared around them.

"This thing won't last for long," said Danny quickly, "We need to attack now!"

"But how to we attack something that's invincible?" asked Luigi. The combined power of fire and ice suddenly shattered the force-field, though it negated the attacks for a brief moment, which Luigi and Danny used to get out of the way. Danny's eyes lit up.

"I've got an idea," he said, "It's farfetched, but it might work." Luigi countered powerful blows from the two elite bros with blasts of electrical energy from his staff.

"What is it?" asked Luigi, pulling the staff back for a brief moment. Danny held up his wrist. Still on it was the communication bracelet from many years before. Danny shut his eyes and focused. Pyrux and Friese did not relent. Luigi was pushed back further and further by their insanely powerful attacks as he tried to defend. As he was pushed back, he heard Danny talking into the bracelet.

"… Hurry, we need your help!" he exclaimed. The connection broke.

"Who was that?" asked Luigi.

"You'll see soon enough," said Danny, spinning his staff in his hand. Unfortunately, at that moment, the two elite bros were already attacking in sync, and both of them were knocked back against the wall, falling onto the ground in heaps.

In the meantime, Tanya and Kamek were dueling it out like there was no tomorrow in the air. Tanya wouldn't give in, and Kamek seemed to be enjoying himself.

"You are quite the powerful little girl," said Kamek, "It would do you well to join our side."

"Such an action is not recorded in the prophecy," she said coldly, "The only thing left is the death of evil, and the victory of the Mage." Wand and staff clashed against each other. Tanya shot a laser at him, but he absorbed it and sent it back at double strength and speed. Tanya did likewise, and the game of ping pong continued as below, Ludwig and Daniel were fighting their own battles.

Daniel was being beaten down to a pulp, while Ludwig was busy trying to resist Turner's increasingly powerful boomerangs. Eventually, he found himself guarding a nearly unconscious Daniel from both hammers and boomerangs. His strength was giving out.

Danny and Luigi were busy trying to match Pyrux and Friese, even with the physical limits placed upon them, but it was no use. They were constantly thrown to the ground, and every time they got up, they ached all over. They were eventually thrown behind Ludwig, who was now trying to defend everyone using only his shell. He had hurting bruises all over his body.

"You may as well give up heroes!" Kamek cackled from above as he fought a seemingly losing battle against Tanya, "The elite bros are more than a match for you. They are the finest of the minions at this castle!" All four of them smirked, and didn't even flinch when Tanya knocked Kamek straight at the ground. She stood over him, staff tip at his neck. Kamek only cackled harder.

"You can kill me," said Kamek maniacally, "Go ahead. It won't change anything. You will still be crushed by the elite bros. You will all die! Long live King Bowser!" Tanya stared at him for a few seconds before kicking him where it hurts and hitting him over the head with her staff. He fell unconscious.

"Whether you are killed or not, the prophecy will proceed," said Tanya, looking down at him. She turned around to the other elite bros, who had lost interest in the battered heroes and were now facing her with evil looks on their faces.

"These guys were worthless," Turner said sharply, "I feel that this girl won't be any better, if not worse."

"You've got that right," Hambro snickered, "Let's get her." They all charged at her at once. She only spoke one word.

"Sexists," she said. Then she charged right into them slamming each of them in the head with her staff. They were unfazed, just as they had been when the heroes had attacked them. The elite bros all turned around and began firing everything they had at her. She took the attacks, simply standing there as if they were doing nothing. Then she held her staff out in front of her with no difficulty at all.

"What's she doing?" asked Friese.

"Doesn't matter," said Pyrux, "She's going down!" They pushed harder while Tanya inaudibly whispered under her breath. Luigi, who was sitting with the others and watching in shock, picked up a few of the words.

"Through… all things… will… made right… through… world will… saved…" the blue diamond at the tip of Tanya's staff began to glow. The elite bros noticed this and pushed harder. Tanya could feel the enormous brunt of their attacks as she focused her energy into it. Luigi finally decided that she needed help and stood up wobbly, charging all the power he had, and firing it at the elite bros. At the same time, Tanya unleashed what she had been holding in. The two attacks together combined and slammed into the four elite bros.

It didn't knock them unconscious, but it certainly dazed them. The others saw their chance and charged. The elite bros, in their dazed state, were no match, though it took quite a while to subdue them. When they had been subdued, a polite term for brutally beaten down to unconsciousness, they all noticed that Tanya had fallen over. Luigi quickly ran over and knelt down to her.

"Tanya, are you alright?" he asked. Everyone gathered as she breathed steadily.

"I am fine," she said quietly, "Don't waste time Mage of Thunder. The evil king awaits your arrival. Rest and then hurry." Luigi nodded and then looked up at the others.

"Let's go find Peter and E. Gadd," he said. With that, Daniel hefted Tanya onto his back so she could rest and they all fought the pain coursing through their bodies and followed Ludwig to wherever the prison was.

* * *

"Darn it all!" Peter yelled as he tried the key he still had on another cell, "He changed all the locks!"

"That figures," said E. Gadd, "You did leave his side after all." Peter threw the key and it slid on the floor until it hit the wall of another line of prison cells.

"Now what do we do?" asked E. Gadd.

"We wait for Luigi to show up," said Peter, "Chances are, these cells still run on electricity as well, but it's going to take a lot of it to open all of them up." They began walking around the enormous maze of prisoners. Then they found themselves going towards the center.

"That's where they were," said Peter as they took a few more turns. Just as he had hoped, he ended up at the center of the prison, where a tower of prison cells lay before them.

"I'm back," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. They had all taken notice of his sudden appearance. Murmurs went through the prison. He walked around the cells.

"Luigi is here," he said loudly. There were a few gasps of shock and a lot of talking. He visibly saw Daisy's face turn hopeful.

"Soon you will all be free, but once you are, you must not move," he said, "We will escort you all out." He twirled his pen in his hand and drew a circle on the ground, filling it in with black, reason being, he had done this in numerous galaxies across the universe during his service with Bowser. They were wormholes, and they would transport people to whatever galaxy they so wished to go to so long as Peter had drawn one in that galaxy. They took a little bit of power out of the pen, but not all that much.

As he walked around the tower of cells again, he saw his father asleep in his cell. He walked up to the cell and noticed that there was something about Mario that seemed different. He seemed less pale and healthier than he had been. He looked up at the cell above Mario's, which was Starlow's.

"What happened to him?" asked Peter.

"I didn't see it all…" said Starlow, whose voice was quite lost, "I do know that a darker form of him came in, but that is all." Peter immediately thought of Dark Mario, and realized that he must have given his half of his soul back to Mario. He could only wonder why for a few seconds, because at that moment, a huge wave of electricity washed through the section of the prison they were in.

Everyone's hair stood on end for a few seconds, and then the wave died down. The cells all popped open. Before anyone could move, Peter reiterated what he had already said, loud enough for the whole prison to hear. No sooner had he done that did the rest of the heroes, excluding Luigi and Tanya, show up in the center of the prison.

"Where are Luigi and Tanya?" Peter asked Ludwig as they began helping prisoners out of higher cells. E. Gadd and Daniel were managing the wormhole, letting people go one or two at a time to the different places that Peter had drawn the wormholes.

"They went ahead to find Bowser," said Ludwig, "I insisted that Tanya stay with us but…"

"It makes sense," said Peter, cutting him off, "She doesn't want the hero to get himself killed. She's going to end up getting herself killed." Ludwig nodded in agreement. Peter saw Danny jump up to Daisy's cell and hug her tightly. They were both crying.

Peter then walked away from Ludwig and over to the cell that his father slept in. He felt Mario's temperature and found that it was normal. He shook his father a few times, but Mario was snoring loudly, showing that he wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon. He smiled to himself.

"The light is overtaking the darkness now," he said, "Soon… soon, this era of darkness will be over."

* * *

**A/N: The elite bros have been defeated by Tanya, and the prisoners are now free. Luigi and Tanya are now on their way to confront Bowser, while the rest of the heroes are responsible for getting everyone out of the castle. In the meantime, Daisy and Danny have been reunited, and thanks to Danny, someone's on their way to the castle. Who is this someone? What will the final battle be like? And what else lies on the rest of the short way to that final battle?**

**70 chapters everyone! 70! This story is 248 days old as of today (that is eight months and one day). Thank you for all of your support. Never would have made it this far without all of you. Also, I thought I should let you all know, that I was actually going to have Kamek get killed by Tanya in this chapter, but decided against it. **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas and places belong to Nintendo.**


	70. Revenge and Reawakening

Chapter 70: Revenge and Reawakening

Luigi was quite surprised that Tanya had been the one to volunteer to come with him. She was hurt still, but she insisted over and over again until Luigi finally gave in and let her. He figured she couldn't stand to leave the prophecy hanging so close to the end.

The halls were long and winding, and it took a while to find out where they were. They came out at airship docks of some sort, which was strangely deserted of everything, including airships. From the docks, space was visible.

"What do you suppose will happen here?" asked Luigi.

"Not much," said Tanya in response, "I don't see how anyone could be here."

"You're looking in all of the wrong places," a voice said from above. They both looked up and Tanya pulled Luigi out of the way as purple paint dropped to where they had been standing and burned into the ground. Bowser Jr. fell from his hiding place and landed with a crash on his feet.

"You will die at my hand," Bowser Jr. said murderously as he glared at Luigi and spun his paintbrush around. Luigi was unfazed as he prepared to zap the Koopa Prince. Bowser Jr. suddenly flung purple paint at him, but it was countered by Luigi's electricity and the two attacks cancelled each other out. Tanya stepped back.

"This is your fight," she said, "I mustn't interfere."

"You shut up!" Bowser Jr. yelled, switching the paint to green. He flung it at Tanya and she was thrown against the wall, tied up by sprouting vines from everywhere around her. Then he turned to Luigi again.

"She's right," he said fiercely, "This is a duel. En guard." Luigi's staff was drawn and he began charging his electricity. There was no way he would let Bowser Jr. beat him. Their weapons clashed as they met and they were both thrown back by the power of the blows. Luigi did a backwards somersault and landed on his feet. Bowser Jr. spun on his shell and pushed himself up. They charged again.

Luigi sent his electricity coursing through Bowser Jr.'s body, but the Koopa seemed unfazed. A blob of purple paint barely grazed his arm and he felt the effects immediately. His arm was burning. However, he ignored it and continued to fight. A bolt of lightning was shot at Bowser Jr. The Koopa deflected it with yellow paint and then switched to red so as to burn Luigi to bits. When he flung the paint, it went over Luigi's head and set the floor behind Luigi on fire. Luigi turned for a split second to see the damage done. That was a mistake.

By the time he had turned around again, Bowser Jr. was on top of him, blue paint seeping from the brush. He splashed it all over Luigi and Luigi felt ice forming on his body. Within seconds, half of his face, and his body were frozen. Junior immediately switched to purple paint and spun the brush over his head, getting ready to throw it at Luigi and thus forth disintegrate him via acid. Luigi charged as much electricity as he could and blew the ice to pieces, barely having enough time to roll out of the way.

The purple paint hit the ground and a hole was burned. Luigi almost dove right into the flames in his attempt to dodge the paint. He rolled out of their way just in time and stood on his feet. Junior had a new paint, orange, ready to fling. Luigi's eyes watched closely as the paint flew at him. He rolled under it at the last second and it hit the edge of the docks. The earth shook where it hit and almost toppled him. He managed to keep his balance as Junior fired another blast of orange paint directly at his feet.

Luigi was ready this time. He rolled under the paint again, but then zapped it so that it wouldn't hit the ground. Then he swept Junior off of his feet, seeing as how he was close enough, and that the staff was within reach. Junior fell on his shell. As he struggled to get up, Luigi zapped him a few times. Junior still struggled to get up.

"I will not relent…" he said furiously under his breath. His teeth were gritted. "I… will not… relent!" The last words were screamed. He flew to his feet and smacked Luigi to the side with a massive blow from his paintbrush. Luigi almost fell unconscious, and struggled to get up himself. Junior had already flung purple paint at him. He braced himself for impact when he saw the projectile approaching.

However, fate was not in Junior's favor. Out of nowhere, the paint was knocked aside. Tanya was standing in front of Luigi. Bowser Jr. stared in shock.

"How did you…" he said with wide eyes.

"You do not need to know," said Tanya with a cold stare. Bowser Jr. looked even more furious than he had been. He ran at Tanya with his brush and prepared to hit her over the head, but Tanya shot him with a laser and he was thrown to the ground. Tanya, in the time she had to speak, helped Luigi up.

"You must find the evil king," she said quickly, "The final battle must be won!" Luigi nodded and hurriedly rushed out of the docks. Tanya faced Bowser Jr. and Bowser Jr. simply glared at her with pure hatred.

"You will die," he said plainly. He gripped his brush with all the might he had. Tanya calmly held her staff. Then they charged.

* * *

The prison was mostly cleared out now. Those that had been in the center of the prison, or most of them at least, had stayed back until everyone had cleared out. Danny had continuously tried to get his mother to go someplace safe, but she refused until she saw that Luigi was alright. Peter simply watched his father as Ludwig, E. Gadd, and a few volunteers helped the prisoners into the warp. Mario was still snoozing.

Peter eventually sat down next to him. There was definitely something different. His color had returned and he looked as though he had aged backwards at least ten years. Before he had looked much older than he did now. As Peter pondered why Dark Mario might have suddenly decided to give his soul back to Mario after all he had said and been through, he didn't notice that Mario was stirring.

Mario's eyes fluttered open and his vision adjusted. He found that he was lying on the ground and that someone was sitting next to him. He slowly and subtly pulled himself up and saw that a young man with blonde hair was who was standing next to him. He recognized him on the spot.

"Peter…" he said breathlessly. He touched Peter on his back and Peter suddenly turned around.

"Ah, you're awake," he said with a smile, "Finally. I was worried you were dead there for a while." Mario was almost brought to tears. He felt like he had been living in a dream for who knew how long. Everything about his mind had been painful and foggy. He couldn't think straight. But now, everything was clear, and he was quite confused as to his location.

"Where am I?" he asked in confusion, "This isn't Bowser's throne room…" Peter looked at him funny.

"Dad, you got moved from Bowser's throne room just over ten years ago," said Peter, "Don't you remember? I was taking care of you and the others here for that time." Mario shook his head.

"No, I don't remember anything…" he said, "Everything just crashed after that weird block sorcerer… I don't even know what he did. The last thing I remember was being covered in a shadow and then I was out. And for ten years!"

"But you've been perfectly conscious for a while," said Peter in confusion, "A little out of it, but still conscious."

"It was a daze," said Mario, "Whatever has happened to me has passed for some reason. However, I am left without being able to recount what happened." Mario paused and then spoke again.

"But what does it matter?" he asked, joy entering his voice, "Because of that, I haven't seen you since you were a baby. Look how much you've grown!" He hugged his son tightly, much to Peter's surprise. Then Peter broke down in his father's arms.

"I… I missed you daddy…" he cried softly. Mario patted him on the back and a rumbling was suddenly heard from outside. As Peter pulled away from his father and they looked around in confusion, Danny rushed over to them.

"They're here!" he exclaimed jovially, "They're finally here!"

* * *

Outside of the castle, an enormous rocket that looked like a castle spire hovered. On its back were many Griffins and Masked Ones. Facles stood at the head, giving a rallying speech.

"Brothers and allies, this is the final battle!" he yelled for all to hear, "Today, the dictator will fall, and we will be free once again! Who is with me!?" An enormous cry rang out from the ship, as nearby three airships flew in next to the rocket. They all carried flags emblazoned with the Mushroom Kingdom's symbol. At the head of the one in the back stood Princess Peach herself.

"Looks like more people got invited," she said aloud, "All the better. We liberate ourselves today!" The Toads also let up a battle cry. All at once, the airships flying on their own towards the castle and the Masked Ones riding on the back of the Griffins, the newcomers rushed into battle. They met at the entrance, where they were confronted by an enormous last-stand force from Bowser. The troop filled the hallways around them and glared at them with angry eyes. Toads, Masked Ones, and Griffins alike prepared for their part of the final battle.

"Princess Peach I presume?" Facles said from the back of the force that they had combined together.

"Of course," she said, "And you are?"

"I am Facles, chieftain of the Masked tribe," said Facles.

"Much obliged," said Peach, facing the direction of the battle, "Care to help me out?"

"Of course," said Facles, "What must you do?"

"I have to find my husband and child," she said.

"Gotcha," said Facles, drawing a knife that was hidden on his belt, "Consider it done." At that moment, the forces charged at each other.

* * *

Tanya was thrown to the ground by another crushing blow from Bowser Jr.'s wrath. The Koopa was furious for what she had done to help Luigi. Now he was just attacking relentlessly, not caring what hit him and what didn't. As she struggled to get up from this crushing blow, her whole body in serious pain, Bowser Jr. stormed up and held her down with his foot.

"You do realize that I could do some terrible things to you right now girlie," he said furiously switching the paint on his paintbrush to red. Tanya closed her eyes and breathed in and out.

"I do realize that," she said shakily, "But so long as the prophecy is fulfilled, they will have no effect." Bowser Jr. grabbed her by the neck.

"Your prophecy is doomed," he said coldly, "Doomed I tell you! I will see to it that it is entirely thrown of course, even if it means facing death myself!"

"That is what the prophecy foretells…" said Tanya in defeat. Bowser Jr. threw her to the ground again and prepared to smack her in the face, but she spun from where she was on the ground, despite all hell breaking loose on her aching body, and vanished, thus causing Bowser Jr.'s fist to strike the ground, cracking the floor.

He felt no pain as he lifted his fist up. His anger subsided for the time being.

"Coward," he said, putting his paintbrush in his shell and negating the paint on it, "It doesn't matter if you die. What matters is that _he_ dies." With that, he left the airship docks and headed slowly towards the throne room.

* * *

**A/N: The true final battle is soon to begin. Before it does, Luigi and Tanya have an ambush by Bowser Jr., in which Tanya saves Luigi's butt and takes on the Koopa by herself. Mario has also finally fully awakened for the first time since Chapter 25/26 when he was split in two. Furthermore, Peach and Facles have arrived with their own respective forces. This not only means a full scale battle is going on within Bowser's Castle, but also that all of the Mario's are in one place for the first time in the lifespan of Peter and Danny. What will come of these final battles? Where did Tanya warp off to? And will the Mario family be reunited?**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	71. The Final Battle: Part 1

Chapter 71: The Final Battle: Part 1

The battle at the entrance of the castle raged on. Michael had taken over as the force's leader in Peach's and Facles' place. Both sides were evenly matched and combatants were being knocked back at even rates. Staves were breaking everywhere and many troops on both sides were being knocked unconscious or, in the case of Bowser's side, being slaughtered by the masked ones. Once Sledge Bros joined the equation however, the balance was tipped.

Troops on the good side were falling over from the power of the Sledge Bros' slams. However, they continued to push forward and knock back each and every one of Bowser's troops. Once the Griffins got close enough to take out the Sledge Bros, the battle was again even.

The Toads fought with either their bare hands, staves, or in a few cases, ice and fire magic that had been taught to them secretly by Francis before his death. Facles's army fought with their claws in the case of the Griffins, and knives in the case of the Masked Ones. On Bowser's side, there were mainly Koopas, which were easy to take out, but a few Magikoopas and other Bros classes had joined the fight. They attacked from the back and made a whole lot harder to get close.

With help from the fire mages, Bowser's army was engulfed in a flaming circle and much of their front, side, and back lines were decimated. The ice mages froze most of what was left, but that was quickly undone by the Fire Bros and the fire itself. The battle raged on.

* * *

In the meantime, Peach and Facles were walking down numerous stairs into what Peach believed was the prison. They hit the ground floor quickly and began navigating through the prison. Eventually, after they took a few wrong turns, Facles called out, "Daniel! Daniel, where are you?" A disturbance in the air could be felt and suddenly, a Griffin circled above them and landed.

"Ah, Danny said you were coming," said Daniel with a grin, "Come on. This way." He flew off again and Peach and Facles followed. They ended up in the center of the prison, where the many prisoners were still being evacuated. They caught the attention of most people, while others continued to concentrate on escaping.

Starlow happened to be the first to notice that they were standing there.

"Oh my stars!" she yelled, "Princess, you're alright!" She flew over at top speed to Princess Peach and floated around rapidly.

"You are alright aren't you?" she asked.

"I'm fine Starlow," said Peach, "Is everyone here?"

"Define everyone," said Starlow.

"Never mind," said Peach, "Who is here that I might know?"

"A lot of people," Starlow answered, "Ludwig, Daisy, Mario…" Peach cut her off and rushed past her.

"What's gotten into her?" Starlow asked Facles. Facles only shrugged.

Peach was busy searching for Mario, and she found him rather quickly. He was talking to Peter, still within the prison cell. They both noticed her walk in.

"Ah, Mother, you're here," said Peter, "Danny told us you were coming." Peach looked between the two of them, clearly seeing something different about Mario. She slowly walked forward to them.

"Mom, is something wrong?" asked Peter. Peach's eyes began to well up with tears.

"It's just that… I've never seen you two together like this before," she said, a smile slowly spreading across her face, "Not since you were still a baby."

As she looked upon them, she saw such a resemblance between father and son. Despite Mario's graying hair, they both shared the same look of confidence in their blue eyes. Happiness overtook her and she fell into her husband's arms with tears in her eyes.

"I missed you while I was gone," said Mario, embracing her tightly.

"I missed you a thousand times more…" Peach cried softly. Peter's arms wrapped around them.

"I didn't even know either of you before these terrible events," he said, almost inaudibly, "But the void in my heart has been sealed." They pulled tighter. The elder Mario family was back together.

* * *

As Luigi slipped silently through the halls of the castle, he heard the sounds of fighting echoing off of the walls. A battle was occurring somewhere. He didn't let it distract him, but it seemed strange that there were no troops on Bowser's side attacking him. Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he found himself in a large open foyer with red carpeting. Two large doors were positioned at the opposite side of the room. One of them was slightly ajar.

Luigi slowly walked up to them. Still nobody attacked him. He happened to notice that there were eight large square pillars along the path leading up to the throne room. They were engraved with writing and appeared to be monuments. Luigi took the time to read each one, and shuddered as he did. The first one on his left read:

"To the one who chose to leave me in cowardice of failure."

"_Lemmy…_" Luigi thought to himself. He came up to the first on his right:

"To the one which was brutally thrown off the edge of a planet by the evil mage-plumber and his insidious nephew."

"_Morton…_" Luigi thought. The next one on his left:

"To the impatient and selfish ones who left me after a promise was left undone. My curse falls upon them."

"_Iggy and Shelly…_" Luigi thought. The second one on the right said:

"To my beloved child who was killed by the power of the evil mage-plumber."

"_Roy…_" Luigi thought, beginning to become shaky from the memories of his journey. The next read:

"To my _only_ daughter, who was drowned by the evil mage-plumber."

"_Wendy…_" he thought. A chill ran through Luigi's spine. That had been unintentional on his part. He hadn't expected her to drown when he threw her in. He shook it off and moved on to the next one:

"To the accursed son who abandoned me for fear of a foolish prophecy. A thousand curses fall on him."

"_Ludwig…_" Luigi thought blankly. He moved over to the next one without giving the words a further thought:

"To the child who burned to ashes while courageously making the last stand against the evil mage-plumber before the evil mage-plumber supposedly died."

"_Larry…_" Luigi figured in his mind. Nobody had told him of that death, but it was easy to figure out from what had happened before he entered the inter-dimensional rift. He didn't even have to wonder who the last pillar was for; what he couldn't understand was why it was there. It read:

"To my only true son, who continues to fight alongside me even in this time of terrible rebellion led by the evil mage-plumber. A thousand curses to that man, and a thousand blessings to my son who has stood by my side. Let my name continue through him."

All of the rest had been dedicated to those who no longer fought on Bowser's side. But Bowser Jr. was still there. Then Luigi looked to the slightly open door and thought through what he had just read. Four had left and four had died…

"Four shall leave, four shall die, and one shall share his father's grave…" Luigi said to himself. That part of the prophecy still had not yet been fulfilled. He thought back to everything that had happened on his journey, from his leaving of Sarasaland, to the very moment he faced right now, the beginning of the final battle.

"Thurius, stand by my side…" he said under his breath as he walked swiftly towards the door ajar.

* * *

Immediately after he had stepped inside, a wrecking ball swung down to hit him. He zapped it with all of his might and it exploded into a million pieces. He looked around. Even here, the castle was being pulled apart by the lingering power of the Grand Stars. The roof had caved in everywhere and tiny pieces lay everywhere. There appeared to be ruined jail cells on either side of the room. Then Luigi dared to look across. There, on a throne so black with evil that it made Luigi's head spin, sat Bowser.

Luigi instinctively drew his staff.

"Hold your weapon plumber," Bowser said lowly, "Save it for later in the battle, perhaps after you are already at my mercy."

"Strong words," said Luigi, not wanting to trust the Koopa, but rather wanting to hurt him very badly, "I find it hard to believe that you think I will listen to you after all of this that you've put me through." An evil grin spread across Bowser's face.

"I figured you wouldn't listen," he said, "It doesn't matter. You'll never beat me here anyways." Luigi immediately looked to the floor.

"You set traps," Luigi said in calm realization.

"I did," said Bowser.

"Quite unfair if you ask me," said Luigi.

"Perhaps not in the way you think," said Bowser, "They are set to go off at random, which means either of us could be hit. However, I have the advantage of knowing exactly where they are." Luigi sheathed his staff. It would be a hindrance to carry it around and look out for traps at the same time.

"Then why don't we get started?" said Luigi, a fierce glare settling on his opponent.

"I couldn't agree to any more," said Bowser with a wicked look on his face. Luigi had the first charge. He dashed right through the center of the room, and immediately walked right into an arrow trap. Arrows shot out of the walls on either side of him. He was forced to spin around and zap them away. In that time, Bowser had dived into his shell and was maneuvering his way towards Luigi. Luigi tried to zap him, but it didn't work. He dove out of the way and right into a pitfall. He managed to grab onto the edge before he fell into the void below, but Bowser had already dived out of his shell and was rushing over to push Luigi in.

The instant Luigi heard Bowser's foot stomp into the ground a foot from the pitfall trap, he swung himself upwards and zapped his opponent. Bowser seemed relatively unfazed, and Luigi landed in the middle of another wrecking ball trap. It almost hit him, but he jumped on top of it and managed to evade pain as the ball crashed into the wall on the opposite side of the room. He quickly jumped off and onto a point on the ground that Bowser had touched while in his shell. Bowser took the time to turn around, which gave Luigi enough time to zap him again. Still, the Koopa King seemed unfazed.

"What else do you have up your sleeve?" Luigi asked fiercely as he continued to throw electricity at Bowser.

"It wouldn't hurt to tell," said Bowser as though nothing was happening to him, "I wear rubber on my body somewhere. Not that I'll tell you where." Luigi charged at him and kicked him in the stomach without warning. Bowser was pushed back, almost into the pitfall, but he held his ground. The Koopa then breathed fire at Luigi, but he dodged by jumping up and attempting to hit Bowser on the head.

The Koopa King caught him by the leg however, and threw him at the wrecking ball, which was coming to a halt. Luigi managed to pull himself up to the chain that it was held on. He attempted to go higher so as to get it off of the chain, but Bowser breathed fire at him. Luigi jumped and the fire hit the chain. It began to slowly deform.

"Go ahead and try to hit me again!" Luigi yelled down mockingly. Bowser continued to breathe fire at him. The chain began to melt faster and faster until finally, it snapped and Luigi found himself hanging over a fallen wrecking ball. He jumped down and zapped it at its base. It flew around the room, disarming traps everywhere simply by rolling over them. Luigi called up an electrical force-field so that it wouldn't hit him. Bowser didn't have that kind of power. The wrecking ball eventually bowled him over and he was sent flying into the wall. He fell to the ground, as the wrecking ball rolled away and landed in one of the many pitfalls across the room, plugging it up.

"Ready to give up yet?" Luigi asked nonchalantly. Bowser jumped up, much to Luigi's surprise.

"Not even close," he said through gritted teeth, "You will die at my hand; I swear it!" The Koopa King charged at Luigi this time, but Luigi was ready and rolled around him, jumping up at the end of his roll and kicking Bowser in the back of the head. He walked right up behind the Koopa and removed the transparent rubber cloaking from his horns. He threw it into a nearby pitfall and prepared to zap Bowser with all of his might, but he was suddenly struck by something wet and slimy.

He was thrown to the ground and felt whatever had hit him harden into something that prevented him from moving, like he was tied up. They were vines. Luigi, out of the corner of his eye, saw Bowser Jr. standing in the doorway, holding his paintbrush and glaring at him murderously.

"You're alone now plumber," said Bowser as he pulled himself up, "Help has arrived; for me at least." Bowser Jr. walked up next to his father and they both stared down at Luigi menacingly. It scared Luigi to see how alike they were. He quickly blew the vines to pieces with a blast of electricity and jumped backwards onto the steps leading up to Bowser's throne. The battle had only just begun.

* * *

**A/N: The final battle has finally begun! Beforehand, we've caught a glimpse of the battle at the entrance and some of the abilities the Toads from Freezeflame have gained, fire and ice magic (those aren't hinting at anything I'm planning on doing in the future, just so that's clear now) and also the reunion of the elder Mario family, that is, Mario's family. And now Luigi is fighting both Bowser and Bowser Jr. at once! Will the prophecy be fulfilled? Will Luigi defeat Bowser and save the universe? **

**I do not own Mario. All characters, places, and ideas belong to Nintendo.**


	72. The Final Battle: Part 2

Chapter 72: The Final Battle: Part 2

Had Luigi not put up an electrical force-field immediately after he got up, he would have been burnt down to bone by Bowser Jr.'s acid paint. That threw him off guard so that Bowser could get around him and fire at him from behind. He escaped from that attack with a cloak singed at the bottom. He zapped them a few times, but they seemed to be fending off the blasts easily. Luigi figured that it wasn't just the rubber coat that Bowser had on his horns. It seemed as though their bodies were too thick skinned for the electricity to get through.

Fire paint hit the wall of the room and set it on fire. Then Bowser breathed fire and set the floor around Luigi on fire. Luigi swept it away briefly with his staff and rolled under another stream of fire breath. Unfortunately, that led him right into the range of Bowser Jr. Junior splattered blue paint at Luigi's feet and froze them to ground so that Luigi couldn't get up. For good measure, he splashed it all over the rest of his body too, except for his head. Luigi was frozen to the ground.

"I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get out, but it won't be time enough before we kill you," said Bowser Jr. with a wicked grin.

"Frozen to the ground now are you?" said Bowser, "Then now would be a good time to talk." He stood directly over Luigi and looked down intimidatingly. Luigi listened to his words as calmly as he could.

"You saw the pillars outside I presume?" said Bowser, "Feel bad about that?"

"Not in the slightest," Luigi replied calmly, "It is exactly as the prophecy foretold. Four shall leave, four shall die, and…" He was cut off by a swift punch in the face.

"That prophecy is nothing but a silly rumor!" Bowser screamed, "Don't mention it to my face!" Luigi chose that particular moment to break out of the ice in an instant, zapping the shards in a special way so that they hit the two Koopas. He then back-flipped onto the wrecking ball that had clogged up the pitfall. The punch to the face had hurt him badly, but he wasn't about to give up because of an injury such as that.

He drew his staff again and fired a bolt of electricity from long range at the two Koopas. They dodged and Bowser Jr. threw black paint at him, which was entirely new. Luigi flipped off of the wrecking ball and rolled between a few spears that had been planted in the middle of the room as traps. When he looked back, he saw that the top of the wrecking ball where the paint had hit was gone, as though erased from existence.

"Vaporization…" said Luigi. It was like a black hole had sucked up that part of the wrecking ball and then just disappeared. The black paint hit the ground next to him and he jumped away from it. The ground vanished leaving only empty space. He threw out more electricity with his staff and managed to destroy one of the pillars that was holding up the room. The roof began to cave in on that side of the room. Bowser Jr. further eliminated another pillar in another corner of the room with his black paint, causing that corner to begin caving.

Luigi then shot a blast of electricity through the floor and tried to hit them both from the bottom up. That seemed to work slightly better as they were stunned for a few seconds. Then the staff came out again. Luigi decided not to sheath it now that it was out for about the fifth time. He took power from the Grand Star so that he could be at maximum energy and fired a lightning bolt straight at Bowser. Bowser turned himself around and it hit his shell, doing absolutely nothing.

After another couple fire blasts from the Koopas, and failed zapping attempts, Luigi figured out that their shells must be rubbery. He almost smacked himself in the head as he dodged Bowser Jr.'s red paint, which had singed the room by that time, as he had bounced off of many Koopa shells in his life as a hero. Still, it didn't seem as though they were rubbery enough to cause electrical resistance, so another observation while dodging and firing found that the shells were reinforced with extra rubbery material. The rubber on Bowser's horns must have been for show.

It was ultimately a stalemate in which Luigi was switching between offense and defense constantly. He didn't tire because of the Grand Star's power, but neither did the Koopas. Their stamina was incredible. Eventually, they were literally pushing their powers against each other as though the attacks were swords in a clash. This only lasted for a few moments because Luigi had to roll out of the way of Bowser Jr.'s magical paint, but it happened often.

Finally, Luigi got close enough to zap them from the front, but they were on opposite sides of him. Regardless, he sent his power in both directions. Hitting them head on rather than all around knocked them back feeling the shock from the electricity. They seemed to realize their weakness and dove into shell spins. Fire burst from Bowser's shell, while Bowser Jr. simply flew at Luigi.

Luigi made the mistake of believing that they couldn't see him. In truth, they could see just fine and they were coordinating their movements to hinder him. What was worse, their shells were face up, so Luigi couldn't hit them head on. There was nowhere to hide either, which left Luigi a sitting duck; that is, until the Bowser Jr. hit another pillar and one side of the room caved in entirely, right on top of him. Bowser Jr. struggled out of his shell and Luigi took the opportunity to hit him with a blast of electricity. While the attack hit, he was caught off guard by Bowser, who knocked him to the ground and flew into the rubble. He dove out of his shell and began walking towards the very hurt Luigi again.

Luigi's injuries healed quickly thanks to the Grand Star, but Bowser was already onto him. A fist flew at his head but he evaded it by rolling to the side. Bowser hit the rubble and broke much of it in half. Luigi caught a glimpse of Bowser Jr., beaten and battered as he struggled to move his body, failing every time he did so.

Luigi's focus then turned back to Bowser, who was burning everything he could to keep Luigi from moving. It wasn't working. Luigi managed to avoid the blasts of fire and jumped over the flames to his right. Bowser dove into his shell again and flew at Luigi. Luigi jumped him and ran towards the wall that had collapsed on the one side of the room. He jumped out of the way at the last second after Bowser had changed direction and Bowser crashed head on into the rubble.

Luigi was thrown back by the impact. He swung around a pillar and slid to the ground. Bowser was out of his shell again, and he looked angry; angrier than he had ever been.

"You're a fool Green Stache!" he yelled fiercely, "A no good, dirty, rotten fool!" He dove into his shell again and Luigi jumped out of the way again. The pillar Luigi had swung around collapsed but Bowser kept going. Luigi was barely able to avoid the middle of the roof caving in. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bowser Jr. throwing paint again. Ice was growing everywhere to keep the room up, but it wasn't working too well. Luigi was under the stars on the left side of the room, while Bowser had crashed into the wall again. Now he was absolutely furious; no, even that's an understatement.

Bowser was fuming as he came into view again. He breathed as much fire as he could at Luigi and ended up setting almost all of the rubble on fire. Bowser Jr. collapsed out of the rubble just in time to save himself. Luigi kept dodging fire blasts until he finally found cover behind one of the remaining pillars. Bowser's fist came through above his head a few seconds later, leaving him no time to catch his breath. He ran around the pillar and Bowser tripped him with his foot.

Then, out of nowhere, the Grand Star flew from Luigi's cloak and clanked on the floor of the throne room. A ton of power left Luigi suddenly, though not enough to knock him down to fatigue. His first instinct was to jump up and grab the star since it hadn't flown far, only five feet, but Bowser anticipated his move and punched him across the room. Luigi hit the floor on the other side of the room in pain. He quickly moved his body around and found that nothing was broken and then quickly, though painfully got up. Bowser Jr. was approaching him from the other side of the room.

Luigi ran forward so as to grab the star but a blast of fire made him jump out of his path.

"Powerless now aren't you!" Bowser cackled, "This will be your undoing!" He continued to fire streams upon streams of hot flames, so many that Luigi began to tire even with the staff supporting him. Luigi noticed that the Bowser was getting closer to the star. If the Koopa reached it, he was doomed. As such, he fired a blast of electricity from his hands at the star and it flew out of Bowser reach from the momentum of the blow. It was knocked into outer space and it flew off, disappearing into the starry sky.

Bowser turned back to him.

"I'll give it to you," he said fiercely, "That was a wise move on your part. But this isn't over." He once again breathed fire at Luigi, who continued to frantically dodge, desperate for an opening to attack, but there were none. Bowser Jr. was still down, watching the fight with a mix of terror and glee. Luigi was almost pushed out of the castle but finally, he managed to get a grip and block the fire streams with an electrical force field. Then he pushed the force field into an electric blast and knocked out the stream of fire, catching Bowser off guard.

Luigi took his chance and charged. He hit Bowser over and over again with electrified strikes from the staff and then zapped him from the front. Bowser fell over from the high voltage and twitched a few times. Luigi stepped back and out of the corner of his eye, he say Bowser Jr. go wide-eyed. But then, just as he was beginning to gain hope, Bowser pushed himself up almost unfazed and glared down at him.

"Luigi," he said, almost calmly, "This is now… A FIGHT TO THE DEATH!" He punched Luigi across the room again and Luigi skidded across the floor. He found it hard to get up, but he saw Bowser approaching him more furious than ever. Fire streamed out of his mouth like nobody had ever seen before. Luigi rolled to his feet and faced Bowser again as he took a break from fire-breathing. He held his staff tightly and spun in his hand.

"A fight to the death eh?" he said through heavy breathing, "So be it." And they charged once again.

* * *

**A/N: Oh boy, this just got really intense. Bowser Jr. is now the only spectator of the final battle, Luigi has lost the Grand Star he's held since the Sea Slide Galaxy, and now, the final battle is to the death. Will the prophecy come true? Will Luigi prevail as the Mage of Thunder? **

**Sorry for not updating in a while. I was in Mexico, then I was sick, and then I got Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, which is a pretty good game. They could have been more creative and created more upgrades, but oh well. It's still good. I honestly didn't expect to be as good as it was (No I am not done with the game yet).**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


	73. The Final Battle: Part 3

Chapter 73: The Final Battle: Part 3

The good side was being wedged between two sides of the dark side. The Toads, Masked Ones, and Griffins were pushing as hard as they could but they were being surrounded rapidly. Michael of the Toad Brigade was at the center of it all, teeth gritted as he scanned the enemy. The good forces had on their side power from the Griffins, agility from the Masked Ones, and a strike force from the Toads, but that was nothing compared to what the enemy had; a variety of different baddies ranging from Goombas to Sledge Bros. They had everything and they were scrunching the forces of good.

"Hold your ground!" Michael yelled as the bad guys got within five feet of the outer rim of their force. Fire and ice flew from the second inner rim of their force where the fire and ice mages were. Even with their strength, they were all still inexperienced and had just begun being sent into the field. This was their first battle. The Griffins used their claws and ripped apart enemies but more just kept coming. The Masked Ones sliced down enemies rapidly, just barely keeping up with the spawning rate.

Finally the enemy came into close combat with the good guys. Michael's teeth gritted harder.

"All out!" he yelled over the yelling and screaming going on. Then, out of nowhere, a laser was blasted through the center of the enemy lines at the point where they were pressing the most. Michael looked up and saw a beaten and battered Tanya hovering above them. Her last half hour had been a blur. She had escaped Bowser Jr.'s wrath and rested only briefly before going to get help for the battle, which she had known of from the prophecy.

"Who are you?" Michael asked in surprise as his forces attempted to break out of the barricade the enemies had created through the now open space.

"I am Tanya," she said weakly, "And I brought help." Danny and Peter suddenly burst from both sides of the battle and began cutting down the enemies. Then Daniel and Ludwig appeared from nowhere as well. Finally Tanya joined the battle.

With their new reinforcements, the good side fought with three times the strength, the enemy forces were annihilated and a cry of victory rose from the good side.

"Don't celebrate yet!" Peter yelled over their cries, "We have to get back to the prison and get everyone out of here!" The force began to pile into the hallway. As they all turned the corner, Peter and Danny brought up the rear, but a rumbling sound came from back around the corner Peter took a look and then immediately pulled back.

"More enemies," he told Danny, "And they brought a Chain Chomp." Danny dared a look too, but by then the enemies were already closing in on the corner.

"Hurry!" Peter turned and yelled, "Run! They have a Chain Chomp!" The force shook with confusion and then the enemy rounded the corner. Peter drew a fireball at lightning speed, flinging it at the enemy. Then the Chain Chomp rounded the corner and the fireball struck it, which only made it mad.

"RUN!" Peter screamed at the top of his lungs. The force had seen the Chain Chomp and begun running now, Daniel bringing up their rear and making sure nobody fell over. Peter and Danny then faced the force alone.

"If we die, I'm blaming you," said Danny spinning his techno-staff.

"Fair enough," said Peter, "But we are not dying." They charged, the evil force on one side with their Chain Chomp viciously barking and chomping, and Peter and Danny on the other standing alone. Then, the force turned back bravely and prepared to fight as well, but before anybody could attack anybody, an explosion burst into the sky and light flashed through the hallways of the castle. Everyone stopped, the Chain Chomp included, and looked around in awe. Then the roof blew off from an enormous electrical blast. Now, clear in the sky, was a beacon of fire and lightning. Danny's mouth dropped open.

"Dad…" he managed, "Dad, what the heck is going on?"

* * *

What was going on was pure fighting. Luigi and Bowser were locked in a clash of epic proportions. Electricity and fire clashed in a battle of the elements as Bowser Jr. watched, now in complete terror, from the side. Luigi fired electricity from his staff, while Bowser breathed fire from his mouth, neither of them tiring of using their power. Explosions rocked the area. All of the walls and ceilings had caved in, leaving a slab of broken brick floating in space and hanging off of the side of a castle.

"You will die!" Bowser yelled in fury. Luigi blocked a blast of his fire again and blasted back a jolt of electricity.

"The prophecy will hold true," Luigi countered.

"Enough of your stupid prophecies!" Bowser yelled, "You shall die a thousand times more for bringing it up!" He dove into his shell and fire burst from the holes in it. Luigi jumped the fire streams and landed on a broken pillar which was thrown out from under his feet as Bowser collided with it. He flipped down onto his feet and knocked Bowser into a pile of rubble with an electrified staff the next time the Koopa came at him.

Bowser returned from the rubble unfazed thanks to the instability of his mind and immediately shot fire at Luigi blocked the fire again. Then he averted it to the floor and heated up the battlefield. Bowser charged at him and readied a punch but Luigi slid under him and the force from Bowser's punch caused him to fall forward on the hot floor, which further caused him more pain. Luigi ignored the rapidly dissipating heat and zapped Bowser through the floor. Bowser flipped himself over and pushed himself up as Luigi was beginning to charge another bolt of electricity.

The second Bowser stood up, Luigi fired the bolt. Bowser didn't have time to turn around and was thrown down by the electricity. Even without the Grand Star, Luigi had gained the upper hand.

"Ready to give in yet?" Luigi asked mockingly.

"You're asking to die!" Bowser yelled angrily as he pulled himself up again and prepared to charge. He was covered in battle scars, bruised all over with burn marks everywhere. He charged with subtle pain in his movements at Luigi again, who charged electricity into his staff and smacked Bowser in the face with it three times. Bowser fell backwards again, but maintained his balance. Luigi saw it in Bowser's steps as he attempted to get at him again; the Koopa King was dying.

He zapped Bowser again. Bowser fell to a knee from exhaustion. The pain seemed to finally be getting to him.

"You… will… die…" he gasped. He breathed another stream of fire at Luigi, but it was much weaker than those prior. It caught the bottom of Luigi's cloak, which burned slowly. Luigi rested his arm and stamped out the flames. Bowser was breathing hard as he glared at Luigi. Luigi saw Bowser Jr. staring in terror with tears in his eyes.

"I may as well press charges now," said Luigi to break the silence, "You have terrorized this universe for long enough. You have kept prisons, broken families and killed people who were perfectly innocent to follow your ambitions. You are guilty of many heinous deeds that have been committed for Thurius knows how long. You Bowser Koopa, are a villain unlike any other. You are a liar, a cheater, and an evil person. People have fallen under your command due to the lies you've persuaded them with and are now guilty of their own evil deeds. Even if you were allowed to live, you would die anyways. Can't you feel it? Can't you see it? You can't go on with this. You will die soon if you keep fighting. Surrender now."

Bowser took five seconds to ponder Luigi's words before lifting his head in a glare.

"I will kill you," he said simply. He stood up and inhaled as much as possible, puffing his chest out to the largest he could so as to burn Luigi to ashes. Luigi gripped his staff, understanding Bowser's decision.

"You're choice has been made," he said, "Your punishment in the Underwhere waits." He brought the staff above his head and began spinning it faster and faster.

"This is for Herman," he said under his breath as the staff spun over his head gaining electrical power at a rapid speed, "It is for Starlow and it is for Canzor, Yena, and Daniel. It is also for Chlorus, for Facles, and the underground resistance that you so brutally took over. It is for Rosalina, Polari, and the Lumas. It is for Bubbles, the bees, King Kaliente, Francis, the Griffins in Bubble Breeze, and the penguins of Sea Slide. It is for Bennet's family, the penguins of Beach Bowl, Ghetti, Blumiere, and Timpani. It is for Tanya, for… for even Dark Mario. For my brother, for Peter and Peach, for Daisy, and for my son, Danny… This… this is for the universe!"

Bowser was about to breathe fire on him but the staff was spinning fast and Luigi brought it to his side so as to throw it. For Bowser Jr., the world slowed down. He saw what was about to happen. His mouth opened in a scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He ran as hard as he could from the rubble on which he had been standing. Luigi threw the staff like a lightning fast javelin covered in powerful electricity. Bowser Jr. slid in front of his father and spread his arms wide and shut his eyes tight as the staff approached.

"_You win Luigi…_" he thought grudgingly, "_Well fought…_" The staff made impact. Luigi watched on one knee as he had used up a ton of electricity without the help of the Grand Star, to the point of extreme fatigue. Millions upon millions of volts were needed to do that to him. And so he watched. The staff pierced straight through Bowser Jr.'s chest and he flew back into his father. The staff then pierced through Bowser Jr.'s shell and pierced into Bowser's body. They were thrown all the way back into the throne that was somehow still intact. The staff had pierced through Bowser shell as well. And there they sat, motionless, father and son, their reign of terror ended.

"It… is finished…" said Luigi wearily. A smile spread across his face. Then an explosion of light occurred in front of him and he fell unconscious.

* * *

The excess electricity released by the staff had caused an enormous light blast. It flashed faster and faster. In the hallway where Peter and Danny had been watching in awe, the light flew over them. Somehow they understood what it meant. Those in the prison saw it. Far away in Beach Bowl Pengrius squinted as he saw a bright light in the distance. A grin spilled across his face.

"It… it's done! It's really done!" he cried.

In Toy Time, Ghetti saw the light and cheered to himself. In the Bubble Blast Galaxy, a weary and tired Bubbles sighted the light and smiled to herself. The bees on Honeyhive saw it, and the penguins in Sea Slide. In Flipswitch the Paper Gang had stepped outside to see the amazing light that was spreading all across the universe. The Toads left on Freezeflame saw it in the distance and cheered. Those in colonies all across the universe cried out with glee at their freedom. In Gusty Gardens Bennet was crying in happiness and his children were cheering. Ella couldn't help but smile.

Even in Sky Station, the prisoners felt the warmth of the light and it gave them hope. Timpani looked over at Blumiere for the millionth time.

"Dear, it won't be long now," she said with a smile. Blumiere took her hand. "No it won't my dear," he said, smiling for the first time in a long time.

Rosalina, who had been transported to Flash Black as one of the last transports, gazed upon the broken pieces of her Observatory that were still in the galaxy.

"_We'll build a new one,_" she thought to herself, "_Even bigger and better than the last._" She saw the light in the sky and smiled to herself lightly.

"Luigi, you have done it," she said to herself, "You truly are the Mage of Thunder…" And with that, she disappeared into the night of Flash Black, gone off to another place where the Lumas would gather again and help her rebuild the starship she had once called home. All she and the rest of the universe had to look forward to now was a future of hope, begun by the bright light in the sky spreading across the universe without yield. One era was gone, the next was coming.

* * *

**A/N: It's over… the final battle is over! Luigi has emerged victorious! That scene was actually planned out in my head for almost the entire course of the story. I think it was carried out well. The universe shall now know peace once again. But it isn't over yet! I still have one more chapter planned, and an epilogue. Stay tuned!**

**There was a last minute reference to the first Lord of the Rings movie in there, regarding the, "they have a Chain Chomp" moment. If anyone has seen the first Lord of the Rings, there is a scene where someone says, "They have a cave troll."**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo. **


	74. Hope for the Future

Chapter 74: Hope for the Future

Luigi's vision was blurred as he awoke. He heard voices around him, and all of them sounded familiar. His eyes fluttered open and he managed a look around. E. Gadd was sitting right next to him typing things into a computer. He caught glimpses of others in the small room. His smile grew wider as he saw each one of them. Danny and Peter were there, chatting on one side of the room. Peach stood next to Mario who was sitting down in a chair at a desk. Daisy stood the closest to him, watching hopefully from the other end of his bed.

He sat up.

"What did I miss?" he asked groggily. Daisy and Danny both rushed at him at once and he was caught in a double bear hug. He returned the embrace tearfully. He hadn't seen his whole family together since they were trapped on the enormous airship and he was overjoyed. They pulled away from him.

"I was so worried!" Daisy cried, kissing him right then and there. Luigi didn't mind. He was too happy for his own good. Mario wearily stood up and walked over. Danny and Daisy cleared room for him.

"Brother," he said, tipping his hat at Luigi.

"Mario…" Luigi said, tears coming to his eyes. He stepped out of bed and stood up, falling into his brother's arms weeping. Tears burst from Mario's eyes too. When all of the emotion of reunion had cleared from the room, E. Gadd spoke up.

"I'll leave you guys be," he said, walking over to the elevator. He stepped in and the elevator accelerated upwards.

"Where are we?" asked Luigi, happier than he had ever been.

"Something E. Gadd calls his masterpiece," said Danny, rolling his eyes, "That's all he ever calls it. I don't know why, since I'm the one who built it."

"In a day and a half," Daisy added proudly.

"Is that how long I've been out?" asked Luigi.

"No, you've been out for a few days," said Peach, "We're all glad to see you okay."

"That's an understatement mom," said Peter, "You used a lot of power out there. People could see all the way to the edge of the universe."

"And the staff?" Luigi asked, remembering Thurius's words saying that he would teach the next Mage of Thunder the ways of the weapon. Peter shrugged.

"You vaporized half of the castle," he said, "Thankfully not the half that the prison was on. To be quite honest though, you were lucky to survive that blast. It would have killed a normal person. We found you at the top of the stairs."

"Where are all of the others?" asked Luigi.

"Elsewhere," said Danny, "Many headed back for home. Others are beginning to build colonies in other galaxies as we speak."

"So many people were displaced by this…" said Luigi, "The Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland must be almost devoid people by now."

"Not so," said Peach, "Many who were in hiding, thousands upon thousands, are still there."

"And now must return to settle things down," said Daisy, "I hope you two are up for a lot of work coming at you." Luigi looked over at his brother.

"We both knew this would happen one day," he said with a light smile. Mario nodded.

"I knew it from the first time we arrived in the kingdom," said Mario. Luigi looked over at his son and nephew.

"From the kid hiding in the forest to the prince of the very same land," said Danny, "Who'd have thought?"

"I would have," said Daisy, putting an arm around her son, "You'll make a great prince." A shade of red spread across his face and Peter laughed.

"Get used to it Danny," he said, "One of these days we'll be the ones handling the two kingdoms."

"Don't forget Ludwig," Mario added, jumping in.

"Ludwig?" Luigi asked in confusion.

"He's already back home," Mario explained, "He's handling business to the south in the Enemius Kingdom. I hear they might make him their king. And you know how long Koopas live." Luigi nodded.

"Now before you put me to work, I need rest," said Luigi, "I've been travelling nonstop for the last decade and however long."

"Don't worry Dad," said Danny jokingly, "We'll just start by having you give a couple speeches and reorganize the provinces." All six of them laughed.

"You'll receive rest," said Daisy, "I think we should return now. There are many back home that Bowser did not overtake. Many old friends that we haven't seen in very long."

"Yes, I heard he never got to Blizzard Island, nor Yoshi's Island surprisingly," said Peach, "As a matter of fact, I don't think he got to any islands at all."

"I wonder why…" said Luigi. Perhaps it was because he had destroyed just one sea-bound ship and just that one incident caused Bowser to retract ships by sea from his arsenal. It still didn't explain the previous ten years, but perhaps Midbus' forces or the Yoshi army just had the strength to repel them. It didn't matter anymore. Bowser was defeated. The fighting was over. Perhaps enemies still lingered in the different galaxies that were still imprisoned or the continents on their home planet, but without a leader, they would be easily defeated.

"So shall we go?" asked Peach.

"Hm… perhaps a vacation first," said Mario, stretching out, "I haven't been out of prison for twenty years. I think I need rest as well." There were nods of agreement from everyone else.

"Then it shall be," said Luigi, "I think we all deserve it after what's happened in the last twenty years. Let's have a time of rest where we put the past behind us. We have the future to look ahead to. And a bright future that it is. No longer will evil plague us, for it has been vanquished. The goodness of light will prevail from here on. For as long as I live, I will assure it."

And with that, the ship lurched and then sped away from where it had been sitting in space, off to whatever destination the reunited and new royal families wished to be at. And Luigi spoke true. Peace would be preserved, and evil would not return… for a long time that is. But that is a tale for another time.

* * *

"Mama, there's more!" one of the Luma's closer to Rosalina cried as she prepared to shut the book. The other Lumas rose up in a chorus of cries, whining for more. Rosalina smiled and then giggled.

"You are all such a handful," said Rosalina, "There is nothing more. Just a little bit of explanation."

"We want explanation!" the Lumas cried. The white Luma cuddled against Rosalina's shoulder.

"Please Mama," he said softly, "Please read the rest." Rosalina sat in silence, the book half shut in her lap. Then she opened it again to a page marked 'Epilogue.' She smiled.

"So persistent," she said, "Alright then; I will continue." The Lumas cried out in sheer joy as Rosalina prepared to begin reading again.

"This is what happened afterward," said Rosalina, "The universe was saved and all was good. But still things were to occur…"

* * *

**A/N: This is it. The last real chapter of The Mage of Thunder. I say that because there is still an epilogue left to go up, and it will go up soon enough. But it's done! I actually finished it! This has been the longest story I've ever written, and I couldn't have done it without all of you, my readers. So thank you so much. And sorry I couldn't get this chapter up sooner. First my Internet was down, and then I got a new computer that has no access to Microsoft Word or any other word processor that Fanfiction supports, so I had to take time to figure out how to post chapters.**

**I do not own Mario. All characters ideas and places belong to Nintendo. **


	75. Epilogue

Epilogue

The ice planet of Freezeflame was more serene than ever before. Evil was gone, and good had prevailed, and the Toads frolicked about in happiness, waiting for their kin to return. They had seen the light in the distance and known immediately that the battle had been won; evil had lost and they could breathe.

And so it was. As the airships came into view in the distance, with the flag of the Mushroom Kingdom high on their masts, the Toads, young and old went to greet the returning warriors. Bruised and battered they were, but no lives had been lost, and for that loud cheers and joyous sounds went up. A feast was planned for the victory in Luigi's honor, even though he wasn't present. They knew he had saved them.

The Toads all celebrated for almost a week. It became like a holiday for them that they would celebrate for years to come. And on the eve of this first feast, Aiden, the Toad Brigade Captain's, Steven's, son who had been born in captivity just over ten years before watched from a distance as the people set up the celebration. Streamers and balloons went up everywhere. Pastries of all sorts were set out on tables and all the foods that the Toads loved as well.

And Aiden looked on with bright eyes and a smile. The second the town had figured out the light in the sky, the whole mountainside had erupted in cheering and joy. Aiden had watched as his father, Steven, who had stayed behind to keep the village safe, happily gave a speech to the townsfolk, speaking of how they were now liberated and that the universe would no longer be in chaos. Aiden believed and soaked in every single word. He loved it. He knew about his history and this was news to him.

He stood there, and then a voice spoke to him.

"Nice celebration they're having," it said. Aiden turned startled. A ghost with very familiar features was standing near him. He almost stepped back into the void but then he recognized the specter. The white beard and weary but optimistic eyes gave it away.

"Mr. Francis!?" he said in amazement, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I am projecting from the Overthere," said Francis, "What else? I've come to see the celebration. I'm quite proud of the one who has caused it."

"Yeah, Luigi was awesome!" Aiden exclaimed, "According to some people he totally slayed the Koopa King and Bowser Jr.!" Francis nodded along as Aiden claimed what he had heard from some of the adults.

"And that's why we're throwing this party!" Aiden exclaimed.

"Well you do that," said Francis with a smile, "You all deserve it for what tense times you went through." His form flickered.

"I must go," he said, "But Aiden, son of Steven, I promise you that I will see you again. Now go join your people." And with that, Francis's ghost vanished. Aiden's smile grew wider as he ran off to join the celebration.

* * *

Tanya appeared at the doorstep of the Sky Station prison. It still had not been freed, even though Luigi had defeated Bowser nearly two months before. But now she knew that it would be opened. A month in a library with nothing more than water and the occasional loaf of bread helped a lot. And she had found it.

It was a spell book, and quite an ancient one at that. And not just any spell book it was; it was a spell book of ancient block magic. The blocks had used them thousands upon thousands of years before. Thus, the barrier on the door was formed by a block creature who must have come into Bowser's service quite early.

She opened the book to the proper page, which was covered in indecipherable glyphs. She had figured them out though and she began chanting the words under her breath:

"Barcken leack hurn lesc lockenti, oopel tu droer en lesc ol ho librenti."

The words were unable to be understood, but it was short spell, and understanding didn't really matter with spells, and she repeated it five times over before stopping. The door shifted and morphed and finally broke down entirely. Tanya reached her hand out in disbelief. Nothing stopped her as it entered the passage. The spell had worked. She stowed the book in her dress, which was pink with a goldenrod ribbon, and then tried to resist the urge to rush forward.

She was so close to them, so close to those that she held the most dearly, more even than the prophecies that she had read. They had loved her since she had been born, and had never left her side until they were forced. She turned through passages and watched as now former prisoners inched towards the tunnel that would lead to their long-forgotten freedom.

Finally, she turned the last corner. Her heart almost stopped. She couldn't control the tears coming to her eyes. The two people in the cell across the way from her stood up, the Grand Star they possessed hovering behind them. Tanya couldn't restrain herself any longer. She ran forward and hugged them both at once, bawling all at the same time.

So long it had been, but the time was up. She at last was reunited with them.

"There, there Tanya," said Timpani, her face streaked with tears, "We're here now."

"We promise never to leave you again," Blumiere said, tears coming to his own eyes.

"Mother… Father…" she sobbed, "I missed you so much!" Their tearful reunion went on uninterrupted for quite some time.

"Shall we go home?" Blumiere asked finally.

"I am home," said Tanya, "And nothing will change that, no matter the location. But yes, let us go home. The others are waiting." And within a tight embrace, a spin was initiated, sending the three of them off back to Flipswitch, the home that they had been separated at so long ago.

* * *

Within the depths of the Dreadnought Galaxy's juggernaut of a station, there lived a young female Koopa. Said Koopa was just like anyone else in the galaxy; she was a normal girl, and had led a normal life, even when the evil king had taken over. Dreadnought had been overlooked. But she had been alone for her entire life… until five years before.

That's when he had come. He was a strong and handsome Koopa, and she couldn't help but fall in love with him, even though she tried everything in her will not to. It couldn't be helped. He was in love with her too and for a few days she thought it destiny. And then he had left, after leaving her with the news; he was the evil king's son, and the only one of them remaining.

She had felt cheated at first, but then she changed her mind. For she had given birth to his child, his son. From her had come the next one in the line of the Evil King's family. But after this, news had come to her; that the man she had fallen in love with had been killed with his father, as it had rung throughout the universe very quickly. She took the news lightly and decided that since evil had been defeated, she would do her best to prevent it from returning; she felt that because her son was the son of the Evil King's son, he would demonstrate tendencies to lean towards evil.

And so it was. She, Helena Troopadour, would raise her son, Tristian, whose father was none other than the now dead Bowser Jr., to be the best Koopa ever. Looking at him now, he wasn't able to do much. He stumbled around the sanctum where the two of them had lived together for the past three years clumsily. He was such an innocent child. He had the normal Koopa beak-shaped nose, and a green shell. A tuft of thick red hair stuck up from his head. On his shell were three emerging spikes going straight down his back. His eyes were soft and black and he was the image of childlike innocence.

As he stumbled over to her, Helena caught him in her arms and hugged him tightly. He giggled.

"Mama!" he cried jovially, "Let me go!" Helena squeezed him tighter. Tristian laughed as his mother pulled him into her arms.

"It's almost your bedtime," said Helena, touching his beak-like nose, "You need rest if you want to grow up to be big and strong."

"Like daddy?" he questioned curiously. Helena hesitated for a few seconds. It was true. She had told him stories about his deceased father once or twice, but not enough to let him know that his father was one of the people who had imprisoned the universe.

"Yes dear," she said softly, holding him closely as she walked towards a tall hallway that led further into Dreadnought's space station, "Like Daddy." She entered a room with a large bed, one that had been a gift from Bowser Jr. when he had come, and heard Tristian breathing softly as he had dozed off. She put him on the bed and tucked him in. She smiled warmly and remembered the time she had spent with Bowser Jr.

He had come one day in search of new allies for the cause of the dark side. She figured he was probably looking for any remaining block people. Instead, when he had come to Dreadnought, he had found her, a woman who had been abandoned on a space station, left for dead. He did so much for her; fed her, kept her company, and overall made her quite happy. Then when he left, he had told her of his role in the universe, and asked her to come with him, to truly become his wife. Helena had begun to cry. Despite all that he had done for her, she turned him down. Only now did she realize how big of a decision that was.

She could have been killed along with her "husband" and yet chose to stay away from the darkness because she knew why she was alone in the first place. It was because she had terrifying abilities. She was called a witch by the people on Dreadnought because of her ability to use dark magic and cast hexes. When a meteor ten times the size of the station had hit, and many of the people killed, they blamed it on her and left her alone. She swore to never practice darkness ever again. Yet Bowser Jr. filled that hole in her heart. It tore her in two to make the decision she did.

But she felt happy now. She had Tristian, and he would grow up to be a fine young Koopa. She would raise him to be one who devoted himself to goodness and turned away his ancestral roots in evil. He would become someone in the universe whom everyone loved, unlike his father and grandfather before him; she just knew it.

* * *

_Ten Years Later..._

Danny squirmed uncomfortably in the regal tuxedo that he wore. He hadn't ever really gotten into formal wear, even after he had officially become the prince of the kingdom ten years before. Now he was twenty-six, and about to take the throne of Sarasaland.

It had been decided months beforehand. The king and queen of both the Mushroom and Sarasaland kingdoms would abdicate their thrones to their sons, Peter and Danny. Normally, the kingdoms would have waited for the two kings' deaths, but the two sets of royals thought otherwise. They figured their sons would be able to handle the kingdoms much better than they could.

And so it was. Danny leaned against the wall of the hallway that led out to the balcony of the large castle-like building on the island in between the three kingdoms; Mushroom, Sarasaland, and Enemius. They were all powerful regions, yet held an aura of peace around them, well preserved by the royals of each. This island was a symbol of that peace. It was called Serenity Island and was set directly north of the Enemius Kingdom, and to the Southeast and Southwest of the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland respectively. It was here that all business was done between the three, including naming new rulers.

As Danny fiddled with his bow tie. Peter came down the hallway in a similar suit.

"Hey," he said, "You're going to mess up that bow tie." Danny looked up.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Danny asked, his eyes narrowed. The twenty-eight year old laughed.

"You crack me up cousin," he said. Danny smiled.

"Can you believe that the time has finally come?" Danny asked.

"Nope," said Peter, "It feels unreal." He sized Danny up. "There are a lot of people out there," he said, "And I know how bad you are with crowds."

"I'm not bad with crowds," Danny protested, "I'm just not good at giving speeches." Peter put a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"You and me both," he said, "And as a matter of fact, our dads too." It took a few seconds but then they were laughing their heads off. It was only interrupted by two sets of heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

"Well, looks like you two found something to laugh about," said a deep voice. Both young men turned down the hallway. Ludwig was approaching in regal robes on the arm of his fiancee, a fairly large Koopa named Marcia, the duchess of one of provinces in the Enemius Kingdom.

"So you are the two young men to become the kings of our fellow kingdoms," said Marcia with a warm smile, "It's very nice to meet you." Peter and Danny bowed respectfully. She was about Ludwig's height (about 7 feet) and had very light blue hair that hung over her shoulders and down to her chest. She wore a large purple dress that flowed behind her as she walked.

"It is nice to meet you as well," said the boys in unison.

"I trust you two are ready to take on kingship?" said Ludwig, "It isn't easy you know."

"So we've both observed," said Danny, "Our parents are always wiped." Ludwig nodded.

"Yes, it is hard work, but you two have royal blood in your veins," he said, "I'm sure you'll be able to handle things."

"And when will you two be married?" Peter asked, "We'll all be back here for that."

"Just a few more weeks," said Marcia. Ludwig nodded.

"The kingdoms are all experiencing much change," he said, "Let's hope it's for the best."

"I'm sure it will be," said Danny, "So long as we don't all start trying to kill each other." Ludwig laughed heartily.

"That won't be happening anytime soon," he said, "Perhaps our descendants will in a couple thousand years, yes?" They all started laughing, and then they quieted down.

"But with all seriousness," said Ludwig, "Are you ready for this?" The cousins looked between each other.

"I sure am ready," said Peter.

"Me also," said Danny. Ludwig gestured forward.

"Then shall we make our presentation?" he asked.

"I think that would be quite logical," said Peter nodding his head. They walked out onto the balcony, smiling down on their new subjects and waving. And in everyone's heart, there was a feeling; the last generation of evil had been defeated, and the dawn of a new era of light had begun.

* * *

Rosalina shut the book again and the Lumas floated around excitedly, acting out their favorite scenes of the story as they rushed out of the Library. The white one lingered before he left. Almost inaudibly, he said, "Thank you, Mama..." And he left the room. Rosalina shelved the book with a smile.

She walked out of the Library with satisfaction. Such a long story it had been. It had truly been almost eons since that story had come to pass. Small evils had come along every now and again, but they were stamped out by heroes whose names were recorded in legends. And she looked around the Observatory. It had been destroyed in the course of the story, but now it had been built again. Everything was just as it had been, with a few extras.

There was a playroom for the Lumas now and three spare bedrooms. The Kitchen had been built larger as well. Some areas, such as the Terrace and Rosalina's beloved Garden, looked just as they had on the first Observatory, as well as the Gate, which would never change.

Warmth filled Rosalina's heart as she looked around her Observatory. She reminisced about all the adventures it had seen in its past life, and this life itself, and all whom she had met herself in the past. Perhaps these things were only memories, but to her, they were sacred. They were memories of a history that only she remembered in this time; an epic history regarding the actions of Luigi, the Mage of Thunder, the bringer of peace.

* * *

**A/N: There you have it folks! A little look into the Mage of Thunder's aftermath! To those of you who guessed that Tanya was in fact Blumiere and Timpani's child, congrats! You all get a triple smiley :DDD! **

**Thank you all for all of your support. This is truly my longest story ever; 75 chapters in 9 months and twenty-one days, over twenty thousands views, and, as of right now, four reviews from two hundred. You guys are all awesome. Thank you for reading my longest story ever! And keep a lookout for my other stories as well! Happy Reading! And Happy Year of Luigi! :D**

**I do not own Mario. All characters, ideas, and places belong to Nintendo.**


End file.
